It’s never a great sign when one of your centre-backs and your goalkeeper are by some distance men of the match. But it was that kind of night.
Maybe Grant Hanley and Tim Krul were able to better withstand the effects of alcohol than their younger colleagues, or perhaps they even had the resolve to resist knowing a game was only 72 hours away. Either way, both were simply magnificent in defeat.
The same could not be said of a single other on a night that was disappointing but which should still be considered in the context of the whole season. In fact, it should also be considered in the context of other footballing news that broke last night.
All in all, it wasn’t a disaster. It was just a bit disappointing.
At the elite level of sport, however good you are, it only takes the performance level to drop a couple of percentage points for you to get found out. And it doesn’t matter whether the cause of that percentage decrease is one too many a couple of nights earlier or you being safe in the knowledge you’re already promoted – the effect is the same.
Add in the fact Watford still had work to do to solidify their own automatic promotion spot, and it was already a cocktail for a tricky night.
And so it came to pass.
That Watford only won by a single goal, in which it looked as though Tim Robinson may have missed an earlier foul on Max Aarons, shouldn’t disguise the fact that Xisco’s men deserved it. They were sharper, hungrier, stronger and in the form of Ismaila Sarr – purchased don’t forget for c£30 million – had one outstanding individual.
We can have no complaints and should perhaps be grateful it was only the one. A night to write off as a bad one and move on.
For Stuart Webber and Daniel Farke, it was also a reminder – not that they needed one – of the need for surgery to make this current squad Premier League ready. A squad of very able technicians who can out-pass most teams in the Championship will need bolstering when trying to do the same in the Premier League.
And, while last night wasn’t the best barometer, there remains that underlying concern of City finding the going tough when up against technically able teams who are also more athletic.
I hope dearly, of course, that a deal can be struck with Tottenham to reacquire the services of Oliver Skipp for next season, but if that’s not do-able then that Skipp-shaped hole should be filled with an imposing figure who will add muscle and power to that area of the pitch.
I have a recurring nightmare of a puce-faced Sean Dyche screaming at his warriors to “PUT IT UP ‘EM!” as City patiently try and fail to play around the Burnley high press. The same nightmare usually includes a montage of City players losing out in a succession of 50/50s and ends with Dyche walking down the tunnel high-fiving Gripper Stebson (Google it kids).
Weird right?
But, nightmares aside, it is an area that needs addressing and while neither Will Hughes nor Tom Cleverly are physically imposing, they are tenacious, spikey and hard to play through. The Mayor, for fairly obvious reasons I suspect, didn’t have his best night.
Fair play to Daniel Farke for trying everything humanly possibly, both tactically and in terms of personnel, to get a tune out of his squad last night, but with the hunger and motivation slightly diminished it just wasn’t to be.
As Farke said himself afterwards, you may get away with it against sides of inferior quality but not against those with players as good as your own. Not at this level.
So, no harm done and, let’s face it, events away from Carrow Road made it a good night for football supporters of all persuasions (well, most 😉), but it is important that the focus now shifts away from the MD 20/20 and returns to the task in hand of winning the title.
A win and draw should be enough. C’mon lads.
On the Ball City!
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Gary
Playing football on a Sunday morning after a night on the beer never affected my game. Although it wasn’t very good to start with. Seriously though mitigation includes a 10 men performance prior to a celebration. Even watching last night it was difficult to think the result really mattered. The only part of the season that means much is to see Bournemouth miss out after their s#ithousery (Adam Pearson)
Well said Gary.
Watford were bigger, stronger and quicker. Farke and Webber know better than any of us this was an issue last season and will be again next even though it has been addressed to some extent. At full back and defensive midfield if Max and Skipp are no longer with us and also at 10,where Dowell unfortunately continues to not look the complete answer, would be a start. Still loads to be positive about but last night was a bit of a reality check so maybe a good thing.
The game was played well between the best two teams in the championship but it likley was a better time for Watford to play..
Full respect to the Norwich team for being excellent throught this season as well as magnaminous in defeat on this occaision. A special mention to Mr Farke also who always gives ans honest and interesting post match chat.
Norwich deserve to win the Championship and I am delighted that my yellow team could well join them in the Premier League.
Congrats both.
I don’t think there’s any doubt about you joining us and fair play to you. Deserved.
As the play-offs, for me it’s Anybody But Bournemouth!
I agree that Hanley and Krul put in decent performances and I would put Aarons up there too. Everyone else was not at their peak form of the last few weeks for whatever reason. Watford deserved the points. Let’s hope they pick themselves up for the next game.
Spot on, and regardless of circumstance, there IS no disguising the fact that whilst brushing most other championship teams aside, pitch us against someone with equal quality and a bit of pace and we look nowhere near as threatening. I’m not alarmed, but concerned that we HAVE lost to Bournemouth and Watford twice, but that we were also beaten by Swansea ( not a great record against higher placed teams in the championship ). These are the sides we have got to beat as well as seasoned perrenial scrapping campaigners in the premiere league if we are to get rid of that tiresome yo yo club tag. There is much work to be done. Winning the title with some strong positive results in the last three games will restore a bit of confidence in me.
You’vesaid it all Gary.
Add to it that as well as the celebrations which our lads undoubtedly took part in, for 70 minutes against the s#ithousers we only had 10 men….and against a side like Watford, that additional attrition will tell….
Plus, even though Watford lost at Luton on Saturday, their travel time would hardly have been huge, AND they had an extra seven and a half hours recovery time due to their early kick-offand our extra late one. At this level, that can count for a lot!
It seems as if the stars and Graham Scott’s instant red card are aligned to make winning the title as tough as possible!
O T B C
“The s#ithousers”. Interesting. Glad it’s not just us with that view. See you next season (hopefully)
At the end of the day, not much damage done, perhaps too much of the fizzy stuff, added to no real training on Sunday. minus the booze Watford had the same time frame.
Honestly, they wanted it more than we did and played like it, plus they know how to play us. Farke tried everything he had and that still wasn’t enough on the night. As said , Farke and Webber do not need any wake-up calls of what lays ahead, perhaps a few of us do but still living with the memories of last season are overriding some of our thoughts., which may a tad too strong on the negative. Of course, some may swing too far to the positive side.
For me, as we stand, We are too good for Championship but not quite for the Premiership.
There lays the problem for the recruitment team and of course the board to dip into the purse, a formidable player must be found to step in Skipp’s position, in case Spurs will not play ball with us. A little more muscle is required in midfield for all the talent and skill we have (and we have) Emi and Todd are a little lightweight when it boils down to it, someone in the Damien Francis mold , not so easily knocked off.
I felt a little sad for Quintilla who has taken a fair bit of flak, his critics need to realize, he has had injury problems and has not much of a look in since our Greek lad has been here. Very unfair to pick on him, several of the team had off nights but none had the reasons he had.
I trust we will get the 3 points needed at QPR if not against Reading it needs to be sewn up before we have to visit Barsnley .
Hi Gary
In short intervals last night city really had chances to pull this game back and just didn’t have an end product.
The Ref as was expected let Watford away with a few niggling tackles and Hughes could have possibly got a second yellow and Cleverly the same but in the end dies it matter.
Will the real city turn up this weekend to get the Title not so sure but from this position it will be tragic if we went up as runners up.
Onwards and upwards
OTBC
Stay Safe and Stay Healthy 🙏
An interesting read Gary and I’d like to think it was a case of the party dampening the competitive spirit.
However, Watford are the closest test we’ll have to what is going to happen next year and on both occasions we’ve come up short.
You mention a £30 million player but I’m afraid this is what it takes to compete in the big league.
There’s no doubt that everybody has excelled in achieving promotion at the first opportunity but I fear that we are now going to once again experience the limits of our self funding model.
If we experience another ignominious relegation next season it’s back to the drawing board and probably without Webber or Farke.
I just hope Webber can in the meantime find three or four reasonably priced athletes who’ll permit us to be competitive rather than brushed aside as was the case last time.
Looking on the bright side I’m sure Webber and Farke learnt more from last night than any other game this season.
Loved the Gripper Stebson line. Norwich, like Watford, need a bit more physicality for the Premier League. We lost Capoue and Doucouré on relegation… Chalobah has emerged as a genuine option, but we’re still too lightweight in midfield and Norwich more so..
Could not agree more Matt; although I think that Chalobah is on loan??
Sarr is way too good forthe Championship, but at 30m I guess he should be.
I don’t think any of us are looking forward to VAR next season, but you’re there now, just as we are.
As for the play-offs, anyone but Bournemouth!
O T B C
No, Chalobah not on loan. He joined permanently under Marco Silva, looked stunning for half a dozen games, played for England and then broke his kneecap. Was out for a long time and has only rarely looked as effective since until getting his head right (I think) under Xisco. Sarr – yes on both counts.
We’re not there until we’re there. One more win, hopefully Saturday. As and when that happens… yes, anyone but Bournemouth clearly.
A friend rang me last night. He is a Liverpool fan. I had rung him the night before and we had discussed the Bournemouth result before I was very hard on him about the Super League. I was merciless. He did not like it, he was genuinely shocked about the closed-shop nature of the proposal.
We discussed the Watford result. He was taking the opportunity to be hard on me in return., but also was giving a fascinating outside perspective. “Your lot are flat-track bullies, you beat up on the weak, but any team with anything about them turns you over. Pukki never had a sniff, They were too powerful, too sharp. That score flattered you….All powder-puff pretty patterns with no grit…” On and on. He wasn’t accepting any excuses for red cards or celebrations. If you give it you have to be prepared to take it. “Your Captain Hanley knows you have no chance” he said, “like playing in the Premier League was his quote. He’s right. You lost” It ended up with a bet. He says we will be relegated again with less than 21 points this time, rock bottom, below the teams who are promoted with us. He also says we will likely be passed by Watford for the title. Bottle-merchants…
I wasn’t having that. We will improve the squad this time. A very good bottle of whisky is in play. I returned the stick, bringing up the Super League arrogance and entitlement. The proposal was collapsing as we spoke, with the English teams beginning to pull out. It was embarrassing for him and the club he admitted.
He is a lovely bloke. Born in Liverpool.. Norwich is his sneaky “second” team having worked in Norfolk for years. He adores Delia and would have her over John Henry in a heartbeat. However, this is genuinely how he sees Norwich’ prospects. The whisky will be shared of course, just a case of who pays….I won the last bet. He thought Norwich would collapse after the calamitous nature of our relegation and be relegated straight through to tier 3. Admits we have done wonderfully well. Fantastic whisky it was too, something Japanese. Expensive.
I am probably alone in not really caring that much about the title or points records etc. Now that we’ve got the hangovers out of the way we should be using these last three games to see whether we can step up the physicality, especially for those players who we know are going to be around.
Hanley was masterful once again, and alongside Gibson I don’t think we concede 3 of the last 4 goals we’ve let in. Not dissing Andrew O who has done well, but he’s not Gibson. I think Ginni can step up his game and I think Aarons will hang around, so we just need some decent options in reserve.
Our problem remains at CDM. Even with Skipp (unlikely), who has been effectively sidelined by the tactical nous and athleticism of the last two we’ve played, we need a big, big, signing here. This is such a crucial area because we rely too much on Buendia and Cantwell covering our full backs which stops them causing mayhem at the other end. I don’t think anyone is totally convinced that Maclean can step up either.
Wide men are also a problem – neither Hernandez or Placheta have a clue how to play on the last man or time runs beyond. Hugill may be a great man for the dressing room but as a player he won’t make a dent on the EPL.
Farke has already said that the last two games have concentrated the mind about what is going to be needed next season and it’s going to be an interesting summer. I think there could be some surprising exits…..
Watford Fan here, always good to read what the opposition think. On the day, Watford seemed to want it more on the day and probably should have converted more of their chances (Think that will be one of our highest shot attempts for the season), let’s not forget that, that was a highly motivated hornets performance. Thought Cleverly and Hughes and Chalobah (sub) were the real difference, even if Sarr was eye catching.
Generally, a lack of goals for both teams (difference between points and goals for) is a concern for both teams if we are aiming to get promoted and both aiming to stay in prem next year.
Both teams need a lot of investment, mostly in central defensive midfield, full backs and goal scorers, I do not doubt that Watford will recognise they need to invest, hopefully the L games against Bournemouth and Watford will make the canaries money men/women realise.
All the best to Norwich, hoping for 6 point next year too.
Just like last in premier league, Norwich was way too lightweight to compete against teams which are their main rivalries. It was not only midfield, both wing backs were lightweight. Hanley and Watford lacking goal scoring skills kept result thigh. Opponents have 1 simple target, to keep Pukki out of ball. Still Pukki was able to make Norwich only scoring chances, dived good free kick chance which Dowell completely spoiled and in last minutes opened chance to Vrancic whose shot was blocked. Pukki has ability to score or get penalty without any scoring chance, but you just cant rely on that. Against weaker teams Norwich system works well, because of couple of better quality players who just individually wins those games.
Now when you think situation of Pukki, Buendia and also Cantwell who is not in same level but is able to play together with them. They all will struggle very much especially mentally because mission is going to be impossible. Norwich should be able to strength basically all other areas in their squad and hope those players will never get injured or get suspension. Financially Norwich is not able to compete in premier league, also its true that there is plenty of players who are not willing to move playing to team which they know is going to be playing against relegation. Players who have nothing to loose can take bait, but next question is salaries. Free player market is something where Norwich can target, problem is that Norwich really cant pay more to new players than their star players. To Farke next season is same way gamble as those 3, relegation lowers interest to him. Norwich owners were incredible lucky when they happened to get Pukki and Buendia, without them Norwich would be now just 1 club more heading to bankruptcy. Its interesting to see how many championship and lower division clubs are forced to that this summer. Its obvious that its not very difficult to get promotion when most of your competitors are trying only to survive as a football club.
Pretty fair assessment of the game. Bitterly disappointed that with a league title on the line we couldn’t raise our level of performance.
Watford unlike Bournemouth bossed the game from start to finish, and only poor finishing and the aforementioned krul and Hanley saved us from a more comprehensive defeat.
I’m old fashioned but the time for celebration of a job well done is when that job has been completed. The lack of focus and desire were clearly evident and some fairly sub standard performances were on show.
I hope we can shake off the hangover and rediscover our professionalism for the final three games because the title is important.
While were at it Gary, can we remove the imbecilic thinly veiled and deeply offensive comment from the thread?
Sorry mate … slipped through without me noticing. Apologies.
No worries.
Ismailer Sarr is some player and Watford will do well to keep hold of him. I thought Xavi did well 2nd half against him. He was great value at £18m
I’m convinced SW will spend this time and imagine some of that business is underway. We will see several from the squad go IMO. We’ve several that are lightweight for the P L and it needs a freshen up too. May be Skipp will decide he wants to play for a proper community football club rather than a tarnished international corporate brand ESL or no ESL,
For our current system to work we have to play with trust and without fear and that’s difficult against better sides. Whatever happens we will be the poor relations and the bookies favourites to go down so let’s continue to enjoy our yellow & green rollercoaster.
4 points from the next two lads will do nicely.
It would be good if the moderators declined to approve comments form obvious trolls bent on spewing their hate-speech!
My bad … sorry.
A very disappointing performance and result. Fair play to Watford, they deserved it and will be coming up with us.
Any player can have an off night, and a team can sometimes not perform at their highest standard, so I am not too concerned about that, although I would prefer that we would beat some of the better teams at least occasionally to avoid the “flat track bully” accusation.
No, my main concern is that the substitutes, last night, made no impact whatsoever, except to make us less likely to score. Onel, PP and Jordan do not look EPL ready for me. Mario possibly helped, but our shape and style went out the window when they came on.
Felt for Xavi, it was a good game for Dimi to miss!
No major harm done; indeed, it may have been a good thing for a defeat to concentrate the minds. Although I am sure DF & SW are fully aware of the challenges that lie ahead.
This has been a great season and congratulations to everyone at the club.
I have only ever had one small criticism of Daniel Farke; he is not proactive enough when change is needed. The players have been on a wonderful run, which secured promotion with five games to go. After Saturday’s exertions both on and off the field, it would have been a good time to freshen things up by making a few changes. I am sure he thought about it, but stuck with the same players, who looked jaded and off the pace. I don’t see that there is any risk in seeing how the players who have been sitting on the bench for the last couple of months do, with a eye on next season.
Perhaps these two games have also acted as a reminder that we will need to strengthen to be competitive next season.
Love reading these articles and replies guys, always well-thought-out.
I honestly thought we’d beat Bournemouth and Watford, but I guess its not that bad to this point, we need to get back into our groove this Saturday v QPR … didn’t see the matches they were not available on EFL, why can’t Sky show Knitting World Cups or something?
Quite agree regarding remarks about Bournemouth, having seen the playback of that Giannoulis tackle, I would really like to know why Pearson wasn’t sent off for his double footed tackle and his prima donna injury performance – I think the ref and the EFL have questions to answer about that.
I have this cunning plan that Barnsley are a dark horse for the third promotion place – would nice to see Carlton Morris’s cheesiest grin!
Still think we’ll go up as champions though!
OTBC