It's strange how a season goes as we have been ticking along effectively after our stuttering start but still concerned about players in certain positions. Then we get injuries to both Gibson and Zimmerman and many of us feared the worst, only to discover what a gem we had waiting in Omobamidele at the tender age of 18. He has stepped in looking like he'd been playing senior football for years and suddenly we have 4 CBs after all. Then there's Dowell who was injured early on and then struggled to make the starting lineup. Once he has, however, he looks a transformed player in a key position many of us were worried about. He has been creative in the heart of the attack and scored his 3rd goal in 5 games. Stieperman has also got over his illness and Rupp and Vrančić provide viable options as well in that key role. This squad has far better depth, experience and quality than that we had last year with a number of young players coming on who add a third level of cover. It's hard now to see where our recruitment priorities are unless some players leave.
I have nephews who support Newcastle and they say Jacob struggled at first but now is looking like the player who left us. Jamal has made a better start but Bruce has become more conservative during their relegation battle. I don't think either of the twins or Jamal would get into our starting lineup now - that's how much we have changed and improved.
In case anyone else is interested, this is where we were at the same point in the 2019 promotion: ................P..W..D..L..F...A..Pts Norwich 41 25 10 6 84 50 85 That 50 against versus 28 this season feels like more than just a rounding error...
Gary Gower's take on Grant Hanley makes an interesting read: https://norwichcity.myfootballwrite...ns-but-the-prize-is-now-in-touching-distance/ He's had an incredible season.
There's quite a difference between looking at home in a team with 70% possession, full of confidence, and constantly on the front foot, versus a team who have 30% possession and against some of the strongest sides in Europe, week after week. We've all seen youngsters break through at teams with a few strong performances, but be unable to maintain it. I'm delighted for Omobamidele, and looking forward to seeing how be develops. But he's had the optimal conditions for looking good at this level, and hasn't significantly been tested. Similarly Dowell is in an attack with plenty of opportunities to make and take chances. Making a telling contribution in fewer moments will be especially challenging. Stiepermann's excellent promotion season didn't translate smoothly to a higher league. In both roles I think we need to be alive to opportunities to add experience and quality.
This is the quote for me: "The Grant Hanley we see today is a very different beast. A bullish, confident leader of men who, thanks to some outstanding coaching on the fields of Colney, is now an able technician; one able to literally set the (Farke)ball rolling; able to receive the ball in difficult situations and resist the urge to hoof it; able to play one-twos with Tim Krul to work an angle for a pass to Oliver Skipp or the Mayor."
And as such, will not look out of place next season at a higher level. Only in my humble opinion, of course.
As has been touched upon we are looking considerably better in several positions since a year ago. The most remarkable thing is that Farke has done it without spending any money. Fulham reputedly spent £100m + and after yesterday's result for Brucie's Geordies look pretty certain to go down. Personally I wouldn't want to see a great outlay and hopefully we have the basis of a team that can survive. If last weeks game against Huddersfield is anything to go by we could do more than that. - Only in my humble opinion, of course.
Tricky one here. Does DF use the last few games and leave Skipp out (harsh) to give Sorensen a run alongside McLean, to see how he performs in the DM role? If not, we're going to have to spend serious (for NCFC) money on a decent DM, assuming Skipp is retained next season by Spurs. And likewise on a new CB, the young lad has been excellent, but surely not ready for the challenges ahead, and Zimmermann seems a shadow of the one 2 or 3 years ago, plus appears more injury prone. Elsewhere, pretty much sorted, barring replacing anyone who leaves for pastures greener and lights brighter.
If DF chooses to give Sorensen a few games now, at least they will be against the stronger( Watford, Bournemouth, Reading) teams in the division so should be more instructive as to his capabilities. I personally believe that he should do this, unless.....they have a deal in place for Skipp to return. Which I seriously doubt.
Let’s get the job done first with our strongest side. That means playing Skipp against the Cherries and Hornets and once we’ve sealed the deal and won promotion and the championship then we can look to next season and give Sorensen a chance alongside the Mayor.
These are certainly the decisions SW and DF will have to make as we prepare for the PL. They know these players and their capabilities far better than we do. With two tough games coming up, we should get a better idea of what Omobamidele is capable of. Could he, like Aarons be ready for senior football at 18? The advantage of him as the 4th CB is that he wouldn't count in the 25 man squad. Another decision is whether Dowell, Stieperman, Rupp and possibly Vrančić are sufficient options at AM, given that 3 of those can also cover at other positions. Much will depend on what happens with Skipp, as he doesn't require a squad place. The same would be true of James Garner on loan from ManUtd. At the moment I think 23 squad places are taken with the players we have, not counting the U21s. That does include Vrančić, Tettey and Quintilla whose future is still unknown, so there is some flexibility, though Quintilla and Tettey would have to be replaced if they leave. With £12-13m already committed to signing Gibson and Giannoulis and possibly another £6m if Quintilla stays, it's hard to know how much money we have to spend.
Emi Buendia has been named the PFA Player of the Month for March! Six Championship players were nominated for the fan-voted award, Buendia going up against Adam Masina (Watford), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Arnaut Danjuma (AFC Bournemouth), Daryl Dike (Barnsley) and Dillon Phillips (Cardiff City). Buendia scored the only goal in City's 1-0 win at home to Brentford at the beginning of the month, before going on to get assists against Luton Town and Sheffield Wednesday. Across the four fixtures in March, he achieved an average WhoScored rating of 8.19.
If Skipp's future has been decided and will return to Spurs then Farke should definitely let Sorensen play the remaining games . A run of competive games with a low risk of disaster would be great experience. Skipp has been immense this season but he's not our player and we need to replace him . If Sorensen struggles then we need to spend on a replacement.
And the only way we'll find that out is to give him that role for the remaining fixtures - the tougher the better in terms of a serious test for him in the DM role. He grew rapidly into the LB slot when we were short there, he may be even better than Skipp But there's only one way to find out - and we only need 2 points from a possible 15.
Precisely and going into a team brimming with confidence rather than a new Premier League season would make much more sense. Skipp has proven to be an amazing player and I'm sure wouldn't mind taking a rest after being ever present, I would be tempted to give Mumba the remaining games too as Aarons will probably leave in the summer . I would like to see more of Hugill too but I think Pukki wants to break his record .
I would rather seal promotion before replacing Skipp. I think we'll do that on Saturday at Carrow Road after a much needed six days between games. Then, we can debate whether the trophy or playing Sorensen is more important.