Match Day Thread Norwich Vs Luton, Sat 6th Mar @ 15:00

I completely agree with all of that. Rupp is a player who tends to go under the radar but is quietly efficient in moving the ball forward and the pivot description is a good one. As you say, his tends to be the pass before the potential assist so it's a different role from that of Vrančić or Dowell. It's also different when the ball is lost as his defensive skills are greater. He's a good option to have.

 

It would be nice for Rupp to score, pretty much all our outfield players have scored this season apart from the Greek boy and Gibson I think.

 

Giannoulis can breathe a sigh of relief that Collins only hit the post in that early Luton chance. Highlights show how slow he was to track Collins.

 

Oblivious to the danger

 

Probably right, but isn't it defending 1.01 to get yourself goal side of the threat. Rather than jogging along watching the action unfold. Caveat: I'm not a defender

I'm being hard on him. He's been great but, that piece of play was horrible to watch.

 

The whole defence was slow to react to that threat and if we're promoted a slow start like that is very likely to be punished. The plus was that having escaped that threat we kept them at arm's length from then on. I'm sure that DF had words about it then and after the game.

 

The problem was not that the reaction was slow, but the complete lack of awareness of how exposed we had allowed ourselves to become when pushing forward in possession. Go back to the point just before Buendia plays the risky, possession-losing pass to Cantwell (instead of making the safe pass back ten yards to Skipp), you'll see 9 yellow shirts well forward in the Luton half. The only Norwich outfield player goal side of Collins at that moment is Hanley, who is on half-way. Both full-backs, at that point, are up in line with Pukki, who himself is standing just outside the D. Credit to Giannoulis for racing back as he did, to confront Collins prior to the latter's pass across to his fellow attackers on the left. Aarons was completely absent from the proceedings the entire time (and at a point in the game where Ince had moved over to the Luton left).

If anyone who doesn't have access to the full replay is interested, I will post some screenshots to illustrate.

The general message is that the crucial mistakes are usually made several steps back, before it becomes last ditch.