The games come thick and fast again after the international break. After our trip to Stoke on Saturday we now head up to Preston North End for a Tuesday night game. Kick off 7:45pm. At the weekend, Norwich drew 1-1 with Stoke City at the bet365 Stadium. Ante Crnac scored his first goal for the club on the day before Million Manhoef cancelled it out in first half added time. That result sees the Canaries extend their unbeaten run in the league to five games, of which they've won three and sees us occupy 7th place in the league Squad update Sorensen - Has been in training over the international break so should make the squad Gunn - OUT - likely for the rest of the game week Nunez - OUT - for the rest of the game week. Another scan to be done Monday, but initial scan doesn't look as bad as they thought. Fassnacht - OUT - a week or so away from returning Barnes - OUT - May be back on the grass in the next week or 2 Gibbs - OUT until Christmas Hernandez - OUT until Christmas Springett - OUT until Christmas The Opposition Preston North End are currently 15th in the Championship with three wins in their opening 10 games. They've won two of their last three, beating both Coventry and Watford at Deepdale. The Manager Paul Heckingbottom Former City player Paul Heckingbottom was appointed Preston head coach after just one game of the 2024/25 season. He had previously been in charge of Sheffield United who he had guided to the Premier League but they struggled with life in the top flight and he was dismissed in December. Heckingbottom has also managed Barnsley, Leeds United and Hibs. Positive vibes!!! ON THE BALL CITY!!!
My namesake Robbie B(rady) was MOM on Saturday when they beat Coventry 1:0 at Deepdale. Set pieces are one of their principal weapons (against Coventry they had 18 attempts on goal, 11 of which were from set pieces). In open play, they are one of the division's more direct sides; they like to get the ball wide and put in crosses. Woodman in goal is one of the best in the division. As Thorup said in his press conference, if we play for 90+ minutes as we did for the first 45 against Stoke, we should beat them. If .......
Yes, but it's not a great position to be in if so much is deemed to hang on a particular player. As I see it, part of the transitional bit of a transitional season is working out how to ensure that top level perfomance isn't sabotaged by any one player being unavailable. Every normal starter should be replaceable without severely lowering the level. As Thorup said yesterday, you don't think in terms of someone else fitting into Nunez's skin. You look at who you have and how things can be tweaked to maximise what he can contribute in his own right.
I’d say it’s a fairly normal scenario Robbie, you want your best performing players on the pitch for every game. Others haven’t been able to dislodge him and we don’t have much of a sample size to really know what they can offer by comparison yet as they are inexperienced in this league. This is an opportunity for others to show what they can do. I expect to see Schwartau come into the team and play as more of a conventional 10 with McLean and Slimane deeper
I was trying to make a case for, if not exactly welcoming Nunez's absence, at least thinking positively about it (which appears to be Thorup's approach). As you say, it's an opportunity for someone else; can't we see it as a valuable one
Slimane for McLean, McLean for Nunez, Marcondes for Slimane? Or to put it another way, Slimane and McLean as the double 8, with Marcondes as the 6 ahead of them?
