A bit over the top I think. Makes it sound as if we are going to walk the Championship unless injuries deprive us of Sainz and Sargent. The reality is Hull, as these lads say in the podcast, played into our hands, and I wouldn't say we exactly walked all over Derby, who did have a coherent plan. Nine games in, there's still plenty of time for opposition managers to work on their counter measures. We are contenders, but no more than that IMO. "Hope I'm wrong" -- as they say
Yes it does assume that we continue to progress at the current rate of improvement without any bumps in the road. I don’t think they suggest that we will romp the league but they appreciate the style of play and tactics implemented
Looks as if Núñez is likely to miss the Stoke match with a hamstring injury. Who do we think will be selected in his place?
Sørensen is back in training and is a possibility. There's also Forsyth, Djedje and Manning from the U21s.
With the FBs inverting, Núñez has been freed to play in a more advanced role; additionally, we now have Slimane to slot in alongside McLean in front of the CBs when the ball is turned over. So I'd say we are looking for someone comfortable at 8, or even 10, rather than 6. On this reading, as well as Forson, Schwartau and Marcondes are prime candidates, though the latter is presumably still some way off playing even 45 mins. My money is on Schwartau to start.
I’d agree that McLean, Slimane and Schwartau would be the most likely line up. Although I wouldn’t be suprised for Forson to get the nod as he may offer a bit more energy
Pinkun analysis on the potential choice between Schwartau and Forson to replace Núñez: https://www.pinkun.com/sport/opinion/24646097.opportunity-knocks-marcelino-nunezs-injury-blow/ At this point, I'd guess it's more likely to be Schwartau for his all round play.
Can’t read the article RER but has there been any suggestion for how long we might miss Nunez for? Is he definitely missing the next game?
The international break will absorb some of the injury time, but according to the article: "The midfielder is expected to be sidelined for a matter of weeks through the hamstring concern that saw him withdraw from international duty over this break, but Johannes Hoff Thorup will confirm the severity of the issue at his press conference next week." Here's another enthused pundit as Sam Parkin gives his views: https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/s...orwich-city-strengths-after-good-run-of-form/
Having now watched it, I think they're pretty accurate in their analysis. They do get carried away at times, but they're not Norwich fans and they also emphasise Thorup's flexibility and adaptability before and during games. This has surprised me as I thought he might be tied to a fixed tactical plan like Farke was, to an extent. If something isn't working, Thorup changes it during the game and that to me is the sign of a really good coach or manager. The game against Pelach's Stoke will be a big test of this. My answer to the question on weaknesses would be that of injuries to key players. Either Sargent or Sainz injured would would be a major blow (as we saw last year) and we'll see now what happens without Núñez. The other weakness for me is still Crnac who was the only player not to get a mention. If he continues the small improvements seen so far, or can improve more than that soon, we would be an even bigger force going forward.
Crnac wasn't "the only player not to get a mention. Duffy didn't get a mention; McLean didn't get a mention. And it's a complete travesty to describe Crnac as "a weakness" in the team. He has a big role in our being an effective offensive force, providing the width that frees Sainz to do his thing on the opposite side, and the press-escaping outball for the back line, which neither Sainz nor the heavily marked Sargent offer. In his analysis of the Hull game, Ben Lee gives three examples of our transitional play against Hull, all crucially involving Crnac but other players being the beneficiaries: 1. "Just a few minutes later, Norwich doubled their lead after accessing the same space between the lines, albeit via different patterns. This time, Fisher (35) moved wide, dragging Hull’s left winger with him, while Nunez (26) dropped with Zambrano (25) not far behind. Duffy (4) played straight out wide to Crnac (17), who cut inside past the left-back before combining with Sargent (9) to find Nunez (26). 2. "Despite this intense pressure, Thorup’s side achieved yet another final-third entry after playing over the visitor’s press to Crnac (17), who played across to Doyle (6) advancing unchallenged in the left half-space. Doyle (6) then found Nunez (26) free on the opposite side in the final third. 3. "This wasn’t the only time Norwich escaped an intense press with verticality on Saturday. On another occasion, as Hull moved from their zonal 4–1–3–2 into a 4–4–2 man-orientated press — a combination known as hybrid pressing — the hosts escaped with a slick pattern out wide. As Fisher (35) received against the touchline, he found Crnac (17) dropping towards him, who then backheeled the ball into the path of Nunez (26). All three passages of play resulted in Hull being opened up, leading to (1) the second goal, scored by Sargent, (2) an opportunity squandered by the unchallenged Núñez, and (3) the strike that Slimane put narrowly wide. Against Leeds, it was Crnac who cut inside to feed Sargent in the lead up to the penalty, and against Hull, having combined with Sargent and Núñez, he ran on to arrive free in the area, perfectly positioned to receive from Sainz had the latter chosen the more straightforward pass for the second goal. Crnac is anything but "a weakness".
I used the term weakness because that's the way the podcast phrased it. For me, Crnac is improving with every game but not as quickly as the team as a whole is. Hopefully the improvement will continue but his current average WhoScored rating for his 7 starts is 6.46, although his last 4 starts have averaged 6.71, but that has been assisted by the 12 goals we've scored in those games. He's not alone, as Forson, Schwartau and Crisene have even lower ratings but, like Crnac, they are all very young players and hopefully their time will come.
Chris Goreham highlights Thorup's proactive use of substitutions to change games: "At 1-0 down against Blackburn in his first home league game he shuffled Callum Doyle from central defence to left back. Within seven minutes he’d won the ball high up the field and set up Josh Sargent for a goal. After a turgid goalless first half at Coventry the decision to remove Ante Crnac and Amankwah Forson at half-time despite their status as recent signings paid dividends. Anis Ben Slimane and Oscar Schwartau helped the Canaries to a vital first league win of the season. Daniel Farke had the luxury of bringing on two prolific Championship strikers in the shape of Patrick Bamford and Joel Piroe at Carrow Road. It was 1-1 with 19 minutes to go and it felt like the moment Farke had chosen to go for the jugular. Many managers would have responded by going on the defensive. Thorup had other ideas. Schwartau and Kaide Gordon, 18 and 19-year old attacking midfielders, were sent on. Norwich held on for a point and were arguably the team with more control in those closing stages." This proactive use of substitutes combined with tactical changes has been a key factor in our improvement in the last 4 games - 3 wins and that hard fought draw against Leeds, scoring 12 goals and conceding 4 against top half teams (though Hull have now slipped to 13th after the 0-4 defeat).
Yes, something every good manager can do, the amount of times in recent seasons when we have needed substitutions and either not go any until it was too late or very strange decisions as to who came on
