Norwich city travel to Pride Park on Tuesday night. It's a basement bash as both teams sit on 8 points with a measly goal against separating them. City's home form sees us bottom of the Championship pile (even the Owls have a point at home), but our away form is eighth overall in the league and given the circumstances looks like we may take the points back home. With the fan base rumbling, nothing else but a win will do, the ramifications of a loss may see a sheepish Knapper tell Manning to baagger off... ....coat... Come on City.
Squad update following press conference: Risks: (CM) Kenny McLean - back problems (CAM) Emi Marcondes - hip problems Out: (CB) Shane Duffy - Calf injury - Could return to the squad this Saturday (CF) Mathias Kvistgaarden - Knee injury - Could return to the squad this Saturday (LB) Ben Chrisene - Hamstring Injury - Could return next week (LB) Lucien Mahovo - Muscle injury - 2-3 weeks (CAM) Amankwah Forson - Hamstring injury - 2-3weeks (LW/CAM) Elliott Myles - 2-3 weeks from Full team training (CB) Jose Cordoba - Hamstring injury - Injured while on international duty - 6 weeks (CM) Anis Ben Slimane - Quad injury - 10 weeks (LW) Papa Amadou Diallo - Quad injury and surgery required - 10 weeks (CAM) Gabe Forsyth - Unknown
From the Beeb: Angry Rams seek reaction against struggling Norwich Derby County manager John Eustace has demanded the Rams' channel their anger from their no-show at Oxford into their another crucial encounter against Norwich City on Tuesday evening. Both clubs are teetering on the edge of the Championship bottom three and struggling for wins with only three between them in 20 games this season. Derby, leapfrogged by Oxford after their 1-0 defeat at the Kassam Stadium on Saturday, lie 21st in the table. "We were all very angry about the performance. We let ourselves down on Saturday. We all know that," Eustace told BBC Radio Derby. More here
I don't think Derby need to get angry. They could probably just roll out of bed and turn up at the moment. Shame about Mahovo's injury flaring up again. Looking forward to him and Kvistgaarden getting back in the matchday squad.
It's what kept him out of the start of the season but sounds like something that is being managed and he is having to play through rather than something that has been cured. He looks like he is playing at about 90%, I don't think i've seen him going in for many challenges in recent games.
If nobody is capable of playing the 10 I would rather see us drop into a midfield 3. Try to condense the midfield with 1 holding midfielder and 2 number 8s that can get up the pitch to support attacks. The holding midfielder can drop between the 2 centre backs and allow the wing backs to push on. All of our midfielders - Topic, Mattsson, Mclean and Wright are capable of rotating in these positions as long as they had the tactical awareness to see that if the holding player has stepped forward one of the 8s drops in as cover.
It's pretty incredible to really look at that list and realise how hard hit our left hand side and attacking midfield is, similar to last season saw our entire CM options wiped out at once. Essentially 5 LB/LCB/LWB/LW options missing and 5 CAM type players.
In every game the players show a degree of lack of fitness which often leads to non-contact injuries. Doesn't Knapper ever query what the hell is going on?
Apparently they did I’ve the summer, whatever they’ve done has taken no effect clearly. Perhaps now the fancy swimming pool has been paid for they want to make sure they get their moneys worth from it
