Norwich City finally sounded the home points claxon during the week following that 1-1 draw with Oxford. Will it be back-to-back points for Norwich at Carrow Road with the visit of QPR this Saturday? QPR sit in 12th spot now following two consecutive wins against Hull and Blackburn. QPR’s confidence will be on the rise and with a healthy away form, Norwich players will need to shake off the disappointment of Tuesday night’s last-minute equaliser and get in the right headspace for what will be a tough game. Clement has his work cut out to get us in shape to start climbing out of this hole. Fingers crossed yellow faithful.
Squad Update before the Press Conference Out: (LB) Lucien Mahovo - Muscle injury - should be back in training - 2 weeks (LW/CAM) Elliott Myles - should be back in training - 2 weeks (CAM) Gabe Forsyth - should be back in training - 2 weeks (LB) Ben Chrisene - Hamstring Injury - should be back in training - 2 weeks (CM) Liam Gibbs - hamstring injury - 2 weeks (CB) Jose Cordoba - Hamstring injury - 2 weeks (LB) Jeffrey Schlupp - Hamstring injury - 3 weeks (CM) Anis Ben Slimane - Quad injury - 5 weeks (LW) Papa Amadou Diallo - Quad injury and surgery required - 5 weeks (RW/ST) Ante Crnac - Ruptured ACL - Season over (CM) Mirko Topic - ACL - Season Over
Another good thread Hairy and let's hope for all 3 points this time! OTBC! Here's WhoScored's predicted lineups:
Time to give Schwartau a break. He was not meant to be playing every game. Kvitsgaarden in his place, and please, Macondes nowhere near the team.
So who would you play behind Josh if Kvistgaarden moves over to the left, GE? I'd have him behind Josh and possibly Forson on the left of he has sufficient match fitness to start or continue with Schwartau. With Diallo's injury we're very short on options on the flanks. The other option would be a 3 man midfield and Kvistgaarden on the left.
The problem is that "the team" is nowhere near him when Marcondes flicks the ball on into space. Why is that Marcondes's problem rather than the team's? Hoolahan regularly played balls to where a team mate should have been but wasn't. Nobody considered it his problem.
IMO it's a bit of both. Clement has said that he wants to progress the ball and attack more quickly to catch defences before they are set. The backheels and flicks may be part of that but roles need to be clarified if that is the case. It'll be interesting to see which way Clement sees it tomorrow with Mattsson or Wright likely to replace Topić. I also thought Schwartau had one of his best games on Tuesday, especially considering he's playing out of position and it's possible he could play behind Josh (his best position) with Kvistgaarden on the left.
Because Marcondes Flicks the ball without looking. Invariably it goes to the opposition. Plenty of examples in the Oxford game.
Mirko Topic injury is his ACL, will have surgery and out for the season. Winner of the bleep test apparently so technically our fittest player!
As I understand it, fitness doesn't affect ACL injuries. It's ligament damage - very different to hamstring and other similar injuries where fitness is a factor. "An ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury in football is a tear or sprain of the ligament in the center of the knee, often caused by sudden changes in direction, awkward landings, or high-force tackles. This injury can lead to pain, swelling, and a feeling of instability, frequently sidelining players for six to nine months or more due to recovery time. Treatment often requires surgery, and recovery involves a long and intensive rehabilitation process to regain strength, stability, and confidence before a return to play."
