The opposition may have the same coloured shirts, we may go in as big underdogs once again, the game may be the same, but the atmosphere will be totally different.
While last time around City faced the pressure of the largest crowd they’d played in front of as a team, in 2021 it’s the weight of expectation they’ll be fighting against. The task for Daniel Farke’s side is to avoid being crushed by it.
Make no mistake, there will be very few Canaries fans heading to Carrow Road expecting to open with three points. While the Reds have perhaps passed the peak they were entering in the summer of 2019, they’re still a Champions League side with a wage bill that dwarfs City’s. They’re still expected to be comfortably in the top four mix while City contest a relegation battle.
What’s different this time, however, is that the Canaries stand a chance this season. Farke repeatedly stated that survival would be a “little miracle” throughout 2019/20; a stance he won’t be taking for 2021/22.
The players that haven’t been improved upon in the transfer market have a season of Premier League experience to draw on, and the make-up of the squad Stuart Webber has assembled allows for increased versatility and game-by-game tactical tweaking, whereas a rigid 4-2-3-1 was the only way previously.
Besides, no matter what the expectation was before kick-off on that surreal Friday night, there’s not much you can do to legislate for a ball slicing off your captain and into the net in the seventh minute.
Grant Hanley’s transformation since that moment – from laughing stock on his haunches to crucial rock in the middle of a sturdy defence – epitomises better than anything City’s metamorphosis. Whether the ‘fleet-footed King of Dumfries’ will be involved this weekend remains contentious given his minute-less, Covid-destroyed pre-season, but the fact that he’s even an option highlights the 29-year-old’s improvement.
Along with Farke’s “little miracle” trope sits Webber’s admission that he “sent Farke into war without a gun” in the list of key Norwich City metaphors. The latter has been perhaps the most repeated quote this summer, Angus’ arrival leaving the obvious joke simply irresistible for many.
In Webber’s own words: “Now (Farke)’s got a gun, a few grenades and a bazooka. We haven’t quite got a tank yet, maybe that’ll come in the future when we stay up a few seasons.”
To contextualise this business, the Canaries have spent around £50million on fees this summer, while the £750,000 they paid for Sam Byram amounted to the total spent on permanent arrivals in the summer of 2019.
All of this meant that, despite losing 4-1 two years ago, City fans actually felt relatively positive post-match. It was all about performance, which in hindsight was a naïve take on the best league in the world.
The difference now is that City fans have been there and done it, bought the t-shirt for £50 and seen beautiful football fail to yield results. It’s all about staying in the top flight this time around and there’s no room for ‘free hits’ or time to acclimatise.
Saturday is about the points: simply the first of 38 opportunities to get them; first of 19 opportunities for Canary supporters to have their voices heard; and the first opportunity in 18 months for a packed Carrow Road to yell ‘On the Ball City’.
Of course, football is all about the fans and as an occasion, Saturday night will be spectacular, but the desire to win and the pursuit of success is what gives supporting a football team meaning.
There’s something in the air in 2021/22. It feels different to 2019/20.
Tomorrow is going to be a special day as we all head back to the alter and pay homage to the club we idolise.
DF has been given MOST of the tools he needs after a busy summer for SW. There are more signings to come BUT I’m personally a bit disappointed that they aren’t already resolved.
We were promoted months ago, to all intents and purposes, and DF will have known his preferred base formation in April/May. To not have key players in place for the start of the season, most noticeably in CDM and a CB, is quite surprising.
Accordingly, I think DF might setup with 3-5-2 tomorrow, and pray that McLean gets through the 90 minutes alongside Gilmour and Lees-Melou, although I’d happily see Sorensen step in to that mix if necessary. Either that or it will be 4-2-3-1 as normal. With all the new signings Tomorrow is going to be a special day as we all head back to the alter and pay homage to the club we idolise.
DF has been given most of the tools he needs after a busy summer for SW. There are more signings to come and I’m personally a bit disappointed that they aren’t already resolved. We were promoted months ago, to all intents and purposes, and DF will have known his preferred base formation in April/May. To not have key players in place for the start of the season, most noticeably in CDM and a CB, is quite surprising.
Accordingly, I think DF might setup with 3-5-2 tomorrow, and pray that McLean gets through the 90 minutes alongside Gilmour and Lees-Melou, although I’d happily see Sorensen step in to that mix if necessary. Either that or it will be 4-2-3-1 as normal.
I am keen to see how DF gets on this season. I think he’s had a pretty fair run now and the pressure is on him. When those last 2 or 3 signings get over the line, SW is going to have provided him with players capable of adapting to 2 or 3 different base formations without detriment to their ideal roles.
There won’t be any excuses because this squad overhaul is both necessary and is completely pre-meditated. Failure will reflect on either poor coaching or a poor choice of recruitment. There should even be depth to cover any complications from Covid, once everyone is up and running and acclimatised to Farkeball.
I said in June, for me, with these players, 3-4-2-1 is the way forward. We don’t have the ideal CDM to enable it, but McLean and Lees Melou might just make it happen, and getting Cantwell closer to the focal striker will unlock his goal scoring potential. That leaves one advanced slot from Tzolis, Rashica, Sarjent, or possibly with Gilmore behind a front 2 in 3-4-1-2. I’m bloody excited.
Savour the moment Canary fans, and all football fans worldwide. COME ON CITY!,
I think the big difference is not having Buendia. Our record without him has been shocking so it is going to be very interesting to see how well DF fares without him as for the last 3 seasons that has largely not been the case.
Very very accurate. Not to mention Skipp. Without either, let alone both, City wouldn’t have made the play-offs last season.
I fret about the gaps wide of the CDMs on loss of posssion and the time it takes to regroup into defensive banks from our attacking overloads. And the passing angles from the CDMs to the wide players are easily shutdown, I PRAY for a different base formation this time.
Nail that or we will get destroyed this season.
Hi Samuel
As a great man said
” Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning”
Many people in and out of the club especially media have already written city off as relegation fodder so tomorrow game is as Churchill says the beginning of the end.
37 more games to go win, lose or draw there is time to recover a bad situation and go on to bigger and better results.
Both teams start even no matter the quality 11 v 11 players and even the best players with over confidence can come unstuck and the majority of this Loserpool side had some terrible results last season especially on the road.
What ever media you read it seems city should just hand over the points, some has been ex Loserpool C-B says it will be 0-2 to them and some others are saying 1-3.
Only time will tell how we fair and one game isn’t the season and can SW pull a couple of unexpected stars out of a hat this late in the window let’s hope so.
So back to our Churchillian quote as underdogs no one will give us a chance but we will fight on till the end