MATCH REPORT – CITY 0, BLACKBURN 2

Dean Smith elected to field an unchanged team from last week’s insipid performance in Wales, albeit lining up in a slightly different formation.  No Todd Cantwell in the squad again, but Marcelino Nunez made it to the bench.

Blackburn took the kick-off, and the initiative straight to City. They pressed energetically and aggressively and for the opening minute or so, City were unable to get out of their own half.  That changed when Josh Sargent did well on the left. When progress was blocked, City moved back before Mclean was found in space on the left. His cross was miss hit by Pukki and Sinani blasted his shot well over.

Then Blackburn won a free kick midway into the City half.  It was played as a through ball to Gallagher whose shot came off Gibson, wrong-footing Gunn, and into the net.

Blackburn then pinned City into their half once again.  Sara tried to get out with a cross-field ball but lost the ball, the subsequent shot being high and wide of Gunn’s goal.

Still pinned in, City played the ball straight out of play on the right having done the hard work to get past the initial press.  Then Sargent conceded another clumsy free kick in a similar area to the goal. This one came to nothing.

After 8 minutes, City finally broke the pressure, Sinani winning a free kick in Blackburn territory. The kick came to nothing, but Gibson then played a good diagonal ball to Sargent but he was beaten by former canary loanee Daniel Ayala.

Gradually City gained a foothold in the match.  At times, there was evidence of some improvement in possession.  City were moving the ball more quickly, the passes were shorter with some neat one touch moves.

However, there was just as much evidence of misplaced passes, cheap concessions of possession and a total lack of penetration. Pukki and Sargent were popping up all over the pitch in a bid to galvanise the attack.  Pukki nearly caught Kaminski in possession but somehow Blackburn turned this into an attack.

Blackburn then played a poor back pass.  Pukki was on it quickly and had options left and right. He elected to continue on his own and was caught and fouled by Ayala.  Sara blasted the subsequent free-kick straight into the wall.

City then had a throw-in in an advanced position on the right.  It went backwards and ended up at the feet of Angus Gunn.  Murmurs of discontent rumbled around Carrow Road.

Despite the crowd’s unease, City were now enjoying a spell of possession and pressure.  A clever quickly taken throw by McLean lead to a cross-field ball to Aarons. He found Pukki on the right, who was fouled by Dack.  As the ball came in, Sargent flicked the ball. There was some 6-yard box pinball. Pukki somehow forced a shot through the crowded area, which was deflected for a corner.  From this, Hayden headed goalwards but it was always comfortable for Kaminski in the Blackburn goal.

As the half-time whistle blew, it didn’t need Mystic Meg to predict the boos that broke the silence around Carrow Road.

City needed to change in the second half.  It started promisingly with a slick move down the left. Sara crossed to Pukki but he couldn’t get the ball under control to get a shot away.

Worryingly, Blackburn emerged looking more assured. They moved forward with purpose, trapping City in their own half once again.  Sinani broke the pressure winning the ball on the edge of the City box, then burst forward through the midfield.  His subsequent ball forward was woeful though.

Blackburn broke back quickly, but the through ball was too far in front of their attackers and an easy claim for Gunn.

Gunn then played a ball to McCallum on the left. He took it beautifully and played it to Pukki, who stretched and nicked it to Kenny Mclean, getting clattered for his efforts. Somehow, McLean conspired to commit a foul and the free kick went to Blackburn.

Then City broke. Josh Sargent did really well to keep it in play. He played the ball down the line and then received the return just outside the D, before being brought down.  Sinani took this free kick, but it was straight into the midriff of Kaminski.

On 53 minutes, Sara followed the ball, leaving Dack free, who was found with a neat back heel.  Blackburn broke, but the final ball was poor.

The first chants of ‘We want Deano out’ began…

As if in reaction,  Smith made changes.  Gibbs and Hernandez replaced Sara and Hayden.

On the hour, Aarons made a great interception, playing the ball through to Pukki. He was forced wide, winning a corner.  Mclean met the ball at the near post but once again it was easy for Kaminski.

City were now attacking with a bit more conviction and intent.  The shackles were removed from Aarons and he was allowed out of his own half.  Hernandez provided some energy and threat on the right.

Yet for all the huffing and puffing, City never really mustered a convincing-looking effort on goal. Sargent was dropping deep, popping up wide and in defence, trying to galvanise the City attack, but to no avail.

On 72, Sinani was withdrawn for Adam Idah and a sustained period of City pressure followed, but once again failed to yield a true threat.  It was broken by the fast-breaking Diaz, who was caught by Pukki who had to resort to hauling him down to prevent a dangerous break from developing.

Blackburn were trying to kill the game.  Dolan took an age over a free kick, having been involved in a wrestling match with Hanley.  Somehow the referee got involved, but only to tell him to move the ball, wasting more time.

The cross came in, Gunn punched clear. Moments later, Onel was away with a trademark powerful run. He played a superb ball to Idah who just couldn’t get it under control to get a shot in.

On 83, Blackburn broke. City had 6 players back to cut off the 4 attackers.  Somehow it found Dolan in space and his shot hit the back of the net, possibly off McCallum.

There was a deafening silence for several seconds before the boos rang out.

Smith brought Nunez on for McCallum in a desperate roll of the dice – an almost Farke-like move yet there never seemed to be any momentum to the City attack, in fact it was Blackburn who looked more like adding a third.

On 89, City finally forced a genuine save from Kaminski,  Sargent at the back post from a corner with a decent enough header. He would have expected to do better though.

Other than an unseemly scrabble for the ball involving Kaminski, which somehow Pukki got a yellow for, and an unsuspecting ball boy got caught up in, that was about it.  At full-time, the boos rang out loudly and with conviction. A determined chorus of ‘We want Deano out’ struck up.  If the empty seats hadn’t sent a message to the board, this certainly should have.

This was a vastly different performance from last week.  It wasn’t all bad.  There was some improved passing – nowhere near enough.  Josh Sargent played out of his skin. But there was precious little cohesion, almost no real threat.

This felt like a Farke-era premier league game in some ways – struggling in possession, hit by 2 sucker punches.  The difference being that in the Premier League, the opposition were usually of vastly superior quality to City. Blackburn were ordinary. Nothing special. Yet won at a canter.

This was the day the crowd finally turned.  With such ill feeling bursting out around Carrow Road, it is difficult to imagine anything coming of this season under the current management team.