Sometimes you just have to hold your hands up and admit you got it wrong. In this case horribly so.
I. GOT. IT. WRONG.
Having watched Burnley dispose of Everton in midweek with a display of high energy and thunderous intensity, I saw no way that City could win that game yesterday. Certainly not when considered in conjunction with our limp, passive rearguard action at the Amex last Saturday.
Up against opponents who were always going to be bigger, stronger and more physical, I was not alone in struggling to see how Dean Smith could find a system, and personnel within it, that would prevent it from becoming an out-and-out slug-fest from which we would emerge second-best.
But he did. And we didn’t.
Players whom many of us had written off, certainly in the Premier League, stepped up to the plate and delivered a performance.
Down and out we may be, but it meant something. In fact, if ever a good performance was needed it was yesterday – when morale was at what felt like an all-time low and when apathy was the most uttered pre-match word across the Canary nation.
Seldom can I recall an atmosphere as flat as the one that preceded kick-off. Had it been a day when the three points really mattered and had there been any degree of expectancy inside Carrow Road, the dulcet tones of Neil Diamond belting out Sweet Caroline (however irritating) would have had the old place bouncing.
But it didn’t. There was nothing.
Neither did On the Ball City get anything close to rousing.
The half-heartedness was palpable.
We’re a fickle bunch though. And all it took was an opening five minutes in which City more than matched the Clarets’ intensity to gradually, bit by bit, get the faithful back on board.
And by the time Pierre Lees-Melou’s deflected shot cannoned in off Nick Pope’s left-hand post, it felt temporarily as if all the horrors of the last eight months were merely the product of a nightmare.
The sun was out. Spring was in the air. City were winning.
But no one can drag you back down to earth like Sean Dyche and a Sean Dyche team.
Even the faintest of lulls in the crowd noise were filled with Dyche’s booming voice echoing around Carrow Road as he demanded more from his men.
No messing, nothing fancy, the formula always the same… 50/50s to be won, personal battles to be won, balls into the box and lots of them, and then as many bodies around Jay Rodriguez and Wout Weghorst as possible.
They do it well. And when it’s a system that’s tried, tested and engrained, it becomes a relatively straightforward way of building pressure.
As a result, the latter stages of the first half were like the Alamo or, as it’s now known, ‘the Amex 0204’.
But, just as they did at the Amex, the back four held firm. Grant Hanley and Ben Gibson, the latter the subject of much criticism of late, were magnificent. Bodies on the line, heads in where it hurts – qualities that, ironically, tick all of the Dyche boxes.
To have gone in ahead at halftime was crucial. So fragile is the confidence, a Burnley equaliser would have rekindled all the old doubts and fears, both on and off the pitch.
It wasn’t perfect and, as some have said online, it had the feel of a half-decent Championship game rather than a Premier League clash, but all season we’ve said we’ll take low-quality wins over high quality defeats. And this was one.
Yet it wasn’t without moments of quality.
The no-look pass from Mathias Normann to Teemu Pukki for the second goal was exceptional, as was the Finn’s first touch to get it under control.
Moments like those have been few and far between. We are where we are for that very reason, and is why the failure to replace the creativity and invention of Emi Buendia has been so costly, but when they arrive they can still bring joy.
To see the collective mood lifted was also a joy. As I said earlier, never has a win and an uplifting performance been needed more.
For once there were good performances across the board and, in particular, from a few names that figured large in our own pre-match discussion.
Kenny McLean, famed of late for his propensity to point a lot but also hide, was phenomenal yesterday, with a workrate hitherto unseen in these parts in 2021-22.
The Mayor was everywhere, winning balls he had no right to win, breaking up attacks and, crucially, making himself available to all of the back four when the time was right to get on the ball and work it through the thirds.
Whether that bang on the head in the opening minute left him believing he was N’Golo Kante, or whether it was a desire to prove the doubters (like me) wrong I don’t know, but it was a perfomance that should have earned him the man-of-the-match champagne. And fair play to him.
Kieran Dowell was another to prove the sceptics, like me (again), wrong. I’d been of the opinion most of the season that for all his undoubted ability, the former Everton man struggles to produce it amid the pace and intensity of a Premier League environment, but yesterday he did.
While he’s not the obvious choice to fill the Buendia boots, he does have an eye for a pass in the final third – something of a rarity in this squad – so it was good to see him playing a full rather than peripheral part in yesterday’s win.
And Lees-Melou, even taking the goal out of the equation, had his most effective afternoon of the season, with, in particular, his ability to receive the ball on the half-turn and commit Burnley defenders being a potent weapon all afternoon.
The Frenchman’s linking up with Pukki was of a Stiepermann 2018-19 vintage. There is no greater compliment.
So… wow. A good one. An enjoyable one. And concluding in a type of celebration that was long, long overdue.
In the greather scheme of things, I don’t think it makes much difference but at least, for a couple of hours, we were happy and united again.
Which was nice.
**
Apologies to Stephen King for (badly) paraphrasing his words in the headline 🙂
Kenny Maclean was outstanding. His reading of the game, his anticipation, and the sheer power and speed showed what he can do as a defensive midfielder. Normann still has a bit to do to convince me he’s the player I thought we were getting, but there’s no denying he can pick a pass. Lees Milou seems to have found a natural spot as a number ten. It’s hard to see where you could fit Gilmour into that midfield.
Pukki certainly hasn’t lost it, his all round performance had even Alan Shearer purring, and that’s not something we expect from MOTD pundits. His goal was beautifully taken, even having the time to look up and check where Pope was.
We rode our luck in the first half. Cornet must have had a sleepless night over that miss, but we’ve had our own share of misfortune like that.
It’s been said there might be a surprise result at Old Trafford next Saturday, but if we play like that, I don’t see it. United won’t pull off the unexpected!
I don’t think anyone should be written off. A point at Brighton allow three points at Burnley. It is possible that the team selection has just been wrong all season and if one takes the Hansenesque approach and remove the kids (Gilmour/Williams) then you have a chance of winning. Won’t be surprised if Everton fail to win again in which case it may take 3 or 4 wins to stay up. We do owe Everton one after 1985.
Sadly, as bad as we think Everton are, their form over the last 5 games is still better than ours. The great escape is mathematically possible, but we need to beat the two bottom-half teams we have left to play (Villa and Newcastle) plus a top half team. Something we’ve been unable to do all season. Plus Everton need to squander 8 games. Also Burnley and Watford can’t go on a run.
The stars need to align.
Funny results always happen at this end of the season. No one can be certain of anything until the Fat Canary sings!
Also the team on Sunday was only three players different than the game v Burnley when we got the first point of the season – Kabak, Sargent and Aaron’s all played but no kids. It feels like we have been all around the houses this season just to get back to the same place.
Hi Gary
A good read and it sums up the game nicely.
I gave a couple of Burnley neighbours cursing that miss and saying if that had gone in they would have gone on to win the game and I suppose they could be right.
The Ref was his usual self letting Bully boys get away with fouls with no warnings or cards in some cases they have looked for an easy life and yesterday Rodriguez and Cornet could both have been given multiple cards just like Taylor in the ManC V Loserpool game Thiago and Frimelo both late on half a dozen occasions but Taylor completely ignored them.
Yesterday just goes to prove as supporters we never know what to expect but expecting the unexpected with city has become the norm.
Having to watch the game on Sky TV there was no mention of supporters protesting against the owners no zoom on when city scored so I guest it was all quiet on that front.
Now let’s rub salt in the wound and get some more points on the board at Old Trafford and go down fighting it just might be DS&CS have found out away of getting the best out of this squad is it too little to late or is the Great Escape be on the cards.
Had a couple of tickets loaned to me, was a change to see some fight and passion,summed for when Normann came down to take a corner in 2nd he was geei ng up the crowd. McClean groaned like hell when I heard the line up, not a ******* I swore, Had he heard me, he would have had to right to ram them words down my throat. The ref, was he wearing Claret ? he certainly appeared to be.
Can someone who sits in River end clear up what was a heated moment , 2nd half Pukki looked to be inside the box by a yard at least, he was clearly fouled, the Burnley 12th man signalled for freekick right on the edge. No var from what we could see or understand.
Another memorable moment for me was Krul telling the crowd to throw the ball up higher into lower teir of River End, which was carried out without question. My boy is a keeper I have repeatedly told him to watch Krul closely, learning from watching him will stand him in good stead for an up coming trial. Although no River End will be there to help waste seconds.
Hard to pick a man of the match, as each and everyone played amajor part. amongst the dirty bully boy tactics old gravel voice teams always resort to. That pass from Normann wasa match winner, Pukki thrived on them, great to see he still does he has not forgotten
I sit in the River End, and for once Oliver got a decision right. It was close, but just outside the box, and at least Oliver insisted on it being taken from the right place, despite a Burnley player trying to move it back about three yards.
On the subject of taking kicks from the place where the offence occurred, how was Pope allowed to move a free kick to the corner of the penalty area, when Lees Melou had been given offside right on the touch line? It does give an advantage, as there is a bigger angle of kick available, despite my mate in the seat next door saying it makes no difference.
Hi Gary
I love the line about McLean’s knock on the head – as a native of Cambuslang, Glasgow, I’m sure he will have received a *dinnee on the heed* before so dealt with it better than most!
What the deuce was Grant Hanley doing in the Burnley box in the 85th minute when we were defending a waver thin 1-0! Running across the goal to impede the only Burnley defender who could have caught Pukki of course! Fantastic moment.
90 mins of hard graft to uplift the Canary Nation, just what the Dr ordered.
Your piece certainly most welcome Gary.
I’d love it if we can finish the season well and not propping up the rest. Dowell looked good and Byram too, hope for the future.
I had this down as a draw so I was pleasantly surprised. I have seen Lees-Melou put in a similar performance at Brentford and that was the only other game where he was in such an advanced role. The opposition were Championship but realistically that is the kind of team we need to beat and imagine how we would feel if we got a repeat of this result next season. A lot depends on who we keep but it is possible that 10 of the team will stay. I was interested to see the high number of empty seats. what caused that? Holidays? Travel issues? Covid fears? Apathy? I gather season ticket sales are high but that does seem at odds with the number of empty seats since Xmas. What is the full story?
Sadly, it’s probably come too late for us and probably saved Everton’s skin too. That said, at least it means we’re less likely to surpass any unwanted records this time around and gives a little bit of pride towards the end of a forgettable season.
Always good to see Pukki score. I still think he’s a class act and to have notched 20 Premier League goals over two dreadful seasons (with little service) shows that he’s still worth hanging on to. If he wants to stay of course…
Well that was a nice surprise Gary.
Okay it was “only” Burnley who are only a few points off us and let’s not forget Cornet missed an absolute sitter, but what a massive improvement that was over the Brighton game and many other efforts this season.
And lets give Dean Smith, his coaching staff and the players some praise for once.
It was so good to see. Okay a lot of the technical build up stuff from Daniel Farke’s day was abandoned, a wise move in out present situation perhaps, but plenty of winning second balls and then playing some good football.
Hanley and Gibson were great at the back, Kenny transformed in midfield from a Pointer to a Terrier but for me it was Pierre Lees-Melou and Kieran Dowell who made the difference.
Pierre Lees Melou is a strange kind of player, looks to have great technical ability but during games you wonder if he has nipped into Yellows for a swift pint. Not so Sunday, until he understandably tired late on, he was brilliant.
Another lad who tired late on but had a excellent game was Kieran Dowell. I was thinking about how good he was at the end of last season during Sunday’s game and hopefully he can finish this season as strongly. And I still think we will see the best of him behind the striker.
I thought it was so funny when Teemu said he had more shots in Sunday’s game than in the last month. It has only been me and some “other bloke”😂 up front commented our star striker, “it is so good to have Pierre, Milot and Kieran with me” he said.
He does give funny interviews. Now quite who this “bloke” was ? it does just go to show how isolated he has felt lately. Perhaps more so than a Mars Rover this season.
I still think we will go down, but this is the way to go down, with spirit, fight and some good old Norwich football. That is all we ask.
On to that happy place known as Old Trafford next, where even some of the Manchester United staff say that the players relationships with one another are colder than Chris Rock and Will Smith’s.
Will it be ACN or can we surprise them ? I think we can go there and put up a decent effort.
It is probably more important for this continuation of Smith and Shakey getting their messages over to the players for next season. This to me was the most promising thing about the Burnley game.
And if we can keep this Anti- Project Restart form for the next 7 games it will really help in building for next season.
” Kenny transformed in midfield from a Pointer to a Terrier …”
That’s a great line, very nice
A good read but must remember Burnley are more our level McLean did play well yesterday about time though still can’t understand sorrenson being on the Bench got more to offer then the other midfielder s on show somehow two clean sheets on the bounce love to see that Saturday .
Can’t wait !😄
Wowsers, and that takes us past the 20 point mark with 7 games to go.
Can we get to 30????
Hi everyone
Hope you’re all well.
Can’t really disagree with anything in Gary’s article and all the subsequent comments apart from adding I thought Giannoulis also had a decent game at LB,
Personally I think this is the defensive position next season we need to worry about the most should the thinkable happen and we indeed go down.
If Max leaves then both Byram and Mumba can fill the void at RB. Williams naturally returns to Old Trafford. If the rumours are to be believed and Dimi leaves to go to a club abroad, then we only have Sam McCullum as a recognised LB on the books, and he is still very much unproven at this level as well as being pretty much injury prone.
Not saying that Dean Smith, Neil Adams etc won’t find a LB in the summer if needed, but I think DG is our best option for the Championship SHOULD he want to stay ???
Agreed, an absolute surprise. The 30 previous games yielding virtually no clues that such a 90 minutes could be possible. The question is: Why leave it until now when it’s too late?
Just goes to show we dont need 2 scottish midfielders playing at the same time!
That’s a lot better, great to see, Gary!
Beeb 5 Live commentary was great, Conor McNamara was very complimentary about City, and Chris Sutton’s input was great too.
Both goals were good, Lees-Melou’s got just a touch on the defender’s leg – Pukki’s goal was well taken.
Would love to see the same against Man Utd, with Rowe being given 30 minutes or so to disrupt their defence – could cause mayhem!
COYYs !!