A Tuesday night at home, under the floodlights, with promotion inching closer. How good would it be to have Carrow Road packed to the rafters for this one?
Sadly, we’re still a few months away from such lofty ambitions of normality, but as the potential for such activities gets closer and closer, so does the “promised land ™” of the Premier League. And a win against Huddersfield on Tuesday would go a long way to achieving that ambition.
As Brentford will no doubt attest though, beating Huddersfield doesn’t just happen.
Carlos Corberan has had a disappointing first season at the John Smith’s Stadium. Terriers fans will no doubt be hoping that, like Daniel Farke, Corberan is using his first season to instil his tactics into the side and change the culture behind the scenes ready to have a proper go next year.
Currently, they lie in 18th but with wins over Middlesbrough, Watford and Swansea this season, coupled with Saturday’s draw at Brentford, they do seem to enjoy playing against the better sides in the division.
Tactically, Corberan has used multiple formations as he searches for answers within his ranks. Usually, he opts for three at the back with a bank of at least four across the middle including wing-backs, with the remaining spots taken by various combinations of strikers and attacking midfielders.
However, we’ve seen sides alter tactically on many occasions when they come to Carrow Road, so anything is possible.
Youngster Ryan Schofield currently has the gloves and looks a reasonably solid lad and a decent shot stopper.
In the absence of injured captain Christopher Schindler, aged ex-Derby plodder Richard Keogh has lined up with a variety of partners, with Senegalese giant Naby Sarr, 22-year-old academy product Rarmani Edmonds-Green, and journeyman and renowned horrible t**t Richard Stearman his most frequent partners.
Sarr and Keogh can both be a massive threat from set-pieces, but defensively they should both be vulnerable to Pukki’s pace and movement.
At wing-back, Pipa, an expensive purchase from Espanyol, has pace to burn and can play either side. Harry Toffolo, ex of this parish, and one of Huddersfield’s best players, has been conspicuous by his recent absence due to injury.
Demeaco Duhaney is a young right-back who came through Man City’s academy before joining Huddersfield and has been the beneficiary of Toffolo’s absence. Between he and Pipa, there is plenty of pace on the flanks, albeit Corberan tends to use them conservatively rather than with the abandon that Farke employs his own full-backs.
In defensive midfield, Alex Vallejo is an anchorman who can also play centre-back and he is most likely to partner club stalwart Jonathan Hogg, who is the water carrier that takes the ball off the defence and gets it moving forward.
Other options in the centre of the park would be Juninho Bacuna, who can play in a variety of roles from right-back to centre midfield, to right-wing, and is an experienced and technically able player, or Lewis O’Brien, who in many ways is the left-sided version of Bacuna, fitting in at many positions, albeit with a bit less skill and a bit more reliance on lung power.
In attacking midfield, former Derby starlet Duane Holmes is doing his shuffly, dribbly thing and alternating between good, wasteful and invisible, but on his day he can be a real threat. He will usually be accompanied by Bacuna or O’Brien. Alex Pritchard is still around but nowhere near the first team as he’s currently still searching Yorkshire for the grass that was greener than that which he had in Norfolk.
Forward options are Isaac Mbenza – a pacy Belgian who usually offers a wide forward option when they play with a front three – former Arsenal reject Yaya Sonogo, who they picked up for free in February, former Everton reject Oumar Niasse, who they picked up for a free in March, and Frazier Campbell, who always seems to save a worldy for when he plays Norwich, so there’s that to look forward to.
On paper, Huddersfield are one of the weaker squads in the division, and are on the cusp of the relegation places. Corberan’s vision for the team is yet to emerge and the fact that they reached for two free agent strikers on short-term contracts in February and March tells you how the long-term planning is going.
They do though have individuals capable of real quality, and Campbell, Holmes, and the like could easily give us a bloody nose if taken lightly.
Complacency is perhaps our biggest enemy in this game.
Thanks for the preview Andy. I can’t see us being complacent. I think Farke will want to get to mathematical certainty of promotion as soon as possible.
It is interesting that they have got results against some of the sides at the top of the table. They seem to be very inconsistent. I think we will have too much for them. Also I can’t see Pukki passing up a shed load of chances again.
If Emi isn’t fit then I hope Dowell plays on the right with either Steipi or Vrancic playing in the centre, number 10 role.
I guess that Skipp and Giannoulis will come back in alongside Aarons if he is fit.
My prediction is 3-0.
MFW Comment of the year with the dig about Alex Pritchard having gone missing in action in his fools quest searching Yorkshire for the grass that was greener than the grass he had in Norfolk.
You beat me to it 🙂
I once bumped into Wes Hoolahan at the Thickthorn Shell station a few years back and asked him how long he could keep going and I bantered him versus Alex Pritchard who was tallest. Wes said it doesn’t matter as he himself had at least three years in him so no problem. Another promotion year looms for Wessie with Cambridge United. Pritchard jumped ship as soon as he recovered from injury but we got good money for him. The Terriers bought an abgry young man who never matured on the field. What a contrast with Oliver Skipp who also came from Spurs.
Hi Andy
An excellent summary of what cityciuld expect from Huddersfield tomorrow.
O’brien is another being mentioned as a target for city this summer and that is a list only getting bigger as we near the Land were the Pound is King.
Friday was a perfect storm for PNE in that their players have 2 weeks to prepare for the game and city had none, they had no new injuries were as city lost Aaron’s, Zimmerman and our LB, and finally they had an extra man playing in Grey.
I read a while back that ex Ref’s want game time taken of them and like Rugby 🏉 have an official time keeper either at the ground or Stockly Park now that would be controversial
Onwards and upwards
OTBC
Stay Safe and Stay Healthy 🙏
Blimey, if Stockly Park had control of the watch the game would be way longer. By the time they’d watched half a dozen replays two or three times each to decide a minimum of one minute additional time, the teams would’ve been playing for an extra ten already 🤣
If ever there was a game where we needed an early goal (or better still – two), this is it. We also need our defence to be on top of their game, as I anticipate a flurry of attacks from the visitors. With the results going our way today and the disappointment of conceding such a late equaliser on Friday, I can’t imagine that DF will need to say much to motivate his players.
I’d love to see a 3-0 victory, but I’d happily settle for a win!!!