So, after a short break from action the long and winding road to Wembley reconvenes / hits a wall * (delete as appropriate) with a trip to the midlands to face Wolves, who league-wise currently occupy 8th spot with 34 points from their 21 games. Will DS put out a full strength side or is he focusing on preserving our top flight league status? Will Cantwell and his quivering blonde mane be involved or will he have flounced off by then, pram, toys and all other assorted baggage? There's only one place for team news as the week goes by.............
I will make a stunning prediction. Cantwell will NOT feature for Norwich City away to Wolves. You heard it here first.
On a more serious note I am hoping that the "fringe" players are given a run out. Protect our main players for the Palace match, unless Normann is fit enough to start. He needs playing time.
So we're away at Wolves, Cantwell's baptism of fire is a home tie vs Boreham Wood And they're on the tellybox too, 18.30 Sunday 6th, ITV4
He's going to play 90 mins, look fit and interested, and confirm everything Norwich fans have thought about him for the last few months.
Regardless of any ego issues, my concern about Cantwell is his limited defensive contribution when the ball is lost. That was less of a factor in the Championship but it is a critical weakness in the PL. Rashica has improved his defensive contribution and Sargent had it in spades upon arrival. Even Dowell and Tzolis are better than Todd in that regard. Perhaps Parker will be able to improve that side of his game and make him less of a luxury player.
Hi RER, do you have any stats to back this up or is it on observation? I thought at the start of the season after the first few games that Todd was top in the league for most successful presses, or something along those lines.
Yes, I remember reading that somewhere, too. And I seem to recall him really putting the effort in for those first few games. After the transfer deadline, however ...
I have the option to (legally) live stream this in Australia with it hit and miss as to whether the match gets added to the page to watch it later that week (Norwich's 3rd round never made it along with another couple). Do I stay up and watch it or do I go to bed....hummmm
For Krul, Sorensen, Rupp and Omobamidele this game comes too soon, although it sounds like positive news on all fronts with their progress. Gilmour is back Normann is back Rupp will be back for Palace Omobamidele will be back for Palace Sorensen is healing quicker than expected Krul doesn’t need an operation and should be back within 2-4 weeks.
Gunn Aarons Gibson Hanley Williams Sargent Normann McLean PLM Rashica Idah At a guess. It sounded like Smith has recognised that the 4-4-2 won't work against stronger opposition so needs an option with an extra midfielder. Expect him to trial something this week, revert to 4-4-2 Vs Palace, then use a 4-5-1 variant in the tougher games that follow.
I'm not sure exactly what constitutes a successful press and how you measure that. What I meant was his responsibility to track back and support the FB when we're defending against attacks. Too often he takes too long to get back and then doesn't cover his position. He came up through the academy as a number10 and he still plays that way even when he has other responsibilities. Sargent, who is a striker, is head and shoulders above him in defending. Rashica wasn't strong defensively when he arrived but has worked hard to improve on that. Cantwell hasn't as far as I can see and that is one factor that has made it hard for him to break into the starting lineup.
If I remember correctly, early on Cantwell registered the highest number of tackles and was near the top in terms of attempted tackles. As Rick points out, pressing is a different matter. As a team we aren't great at that, and weren't under DF either. In the longer term we should see a marked improvement in that respect under DS. Edit: Defensive action stats (squad and individual): https://fbref.com/en/comps/9/defense/Premier-League-Stats
That looks about right DH, but I think the 4-5-1 will morph into a 4-3-2-1 or a 4-3-3 when we are attacking, particularly on the counter. Given it's the cup, DS may elect to play Dowell and Tzolis rather than Sargent and Rashica, especially as we have 3 games in 8 days. Normann will probably only play around 45-60 minutes with Gilmour playing the rest. From what DS said after Watford, I doubt Idah will start against ManCity.
The text of the presser is an interesting read, including DS's surprising comments on Cantwell: https://www.canaries.co.uk/content/dean-smith-wolves-fa-cup-preview
Thanks for that it was an interesting read. Just remembered we can make up to 5 substitute games this year in the cup
I know this has been discussed before, but what do people think about Gilmour now that he is fit? Do we try him out today alongside Normann to see if that could work as a pairing? Our midfield has looked a lot tougher and better balanced without Gilmour in it, so I'm worried we'll disrupt that in our attempt to bring him back in. Many people have said that he is not what we need because he's too much of a luxury player within our set-up, but in theory he has a lot to offer if everyone else around him provides the muscle. Today seems like it could be a free hit to test that idea??
