The 2019-2020 season.

I thought that was good article. For most of my life we have been a team of midgets and the 'we score more than you' though fun, does leave us very exposed in the premiership. Even if we are still attacking, some extra pace (which we now have) will help with a long ball option. I hope we get better coaching at both offensive and defensive set pieces, because I see this almost as a free win, or at least gets us the most improvement for the time and effort.

 

Not anywhere in depth enough from my point of view to have much real value. Defensively would have been much more useful if it had broken down why the goals where conceded, open play, set pieces, forced / unforced errors, etc, etc. Also doesn't take into account player availability nor player age / development etc. Mentions poor aerial duels won, but links this as a worry against teams playing the more direct approach in the Championship. Really need to drill down more into this if it's to be of any use i.e. what where the figures in relation to aerial duels from open play v corners. Offensively it highlights lack of goals and that not enough of our set piece's resulted in shots on target. Possession / Passing is a bit more interesting. We came out top with the basic possession / passing stats. Comment re lateral / back passes was interesting.

So in summary we conceded too many goals, we didn't score enough goals, but had good possession and our passing was was good. Oh and each team has some good reasons to believe they can return to the PL.

 

Quote: "Norwich have a gung-ho approach ......."

Clearly he doesn't understand; it's not a gung-ho approach, it's entertaining football. Bet the guy worships Hughton.

 

Trying to use the past to predict the future can have some pitfalls. It's a different league with different challenges and it might be more relevant to compare our 2018-19 season as the squad is still virtually intact. Yes we may lose some prized assets but we have also added 9 new players who showcased their talents yesterday. We also have Idah, Martin, Famewo and Thomas pushing for places from the U23s. If Cantwell goes, we've added Placheta and Dowell to fill the void and both played well yesterday. If Lewis moves on, we've added Quintilla and McCallum at LB. Sam played the second half but Xavi hasn't played yet. Like Placheta, Sinari had an assist and hit the crossbar and Josh Martin scored twice in an all new boy attack in the first half. Sørensen and Sitti also had good debuts and the defense kept a clean sheet. Yes, it was League One opposition, but still a very promising start.

 

Trouble is, Zog, it leaves us exposed in the Championship as well.

 

It seems to be an SW/DF priority as we have added 6 new players 6 feet or over. Quintilla is 5'10" but can also play as a CB so must have some presence and Skipp is similar at DM. Hopefully that will make a difference.

 

Let's applaud this midget. Jesus Navas, captain of Sevilla who won the Europa Cup for the sixth time last night, is only 5' 7". He is 34 years old and played in the Sevilla side when they won the same Cup for the first time -- in 2006! He has played for only 2 clubs, Sevilla and Man City.

 

Apparently Messi, Xavi & Iniesta wouldn't be any good either as they are all 5'7"

 

This is where zonal marking comes good. The midgets block and the tall players attack the ball in their zone.

 

Reminds me of playing rugby at school. The midgets were the demonstration team and when we had a big game if a midget shouted sanctuary only a midget could tackle a midget, maybe a similar rule can be used for our set plays?

 

'Norwich’s demise can be blamed on many things, but the failure to deploy a noticeable, tactical alternative to the 4-2-3-1 formation, make substitutions, and depart from the patient, possession-based philosophy even when only a few minutes from defeat is a real discussion point.'

https://norwichcity.myfootballwrite...hing-denied-herr-farke-in-the-premier-league/

 

I don't think it was so much the fault of the formation as it was the injuries which denied consistency in performance and that led to a drain in confidence. When we had the ball, the 4-2-3-1 shifted to a 2-2-3-3 which was very attacking, then to a 4-4-1-1 'low block' when the ball was lost. Unfortunately, after all of the setbacks and injuries, the confidence was no longer there. In 2018-19 we were riding a wave of confidence through to the end.

This season, as Martin says, the strategy has changed, as has the money available. We won't know for a while who is going to leave and how well the new players will fit in, but there seems to be a determination to get it right this time. We've added pace with Placheta, guile and scoring ability with Dowell and Sinani, strengthened the DM and CM positions and added depth to the defence with another CB to arrive soon hopefully with possibly a GK on loan perhaps. Now we have Hugill offering other options as well. So far, so good, but we won't know for a while just how all of this will work out.

 

Fit in to what though? A lot of the discussion on here up to now has been based on the assumption that it will be more of the same, but with faster, stronger, taller, "better" players implementing an even more effective version of Farkeball. That plus a bit more flexibility, e.g. to go more direct if need be. Given the signings we've made though, and who else is, or may well be, leaving (e.g. Leitner, and two, possibly three, of Cantwell, Aarons, Lewis, Buendia, Pukki, Stiepermann), the idea that we will be seeing a better rendering of Farkeball seems most unlikely. Have SW and DF decided that "getting it right this time" means letting the baby go with the bathwater?

 

I think the strategy will still be Farkeball working out from the back to retain possession, but now with greater counterattacking capability as well. Much will depend on the passing ability of the new midfielders to set Hernandez or Placheta free. Dowell was very impressive yesterday, scoring one and providing an assist for the second in just 45 minutes, so he could prove to be a key player. Placheta looks to be a good crosser, which may make us less dependent on the FBs overlapping so aggressively. Looking at Hugill's 15 goals last season on YouTube suggests that he's a more versatile striker than the usual 'target man' label implies.

Defensively, the added height and physicality should make a difference in winning headers and attacking and defending set pieces. The two clean sheets so far in spite of two different line-ups in each half suggests a greater emphasis on tightening the defence but we'll have to see what happens when the season starts.

 

Surely throwing the baby out with the bathwater would be to sack the coach, change the squad, change the system and sell the Club to a new owner. Is anybody suggesting that?

 

Not on here, but have a look on the Pink'Un Forum. Whatever, I think it was pretty clear what baby I was referring to.

 

But having the FBs provide the width is a key part of Farkeball, allowing e.g. Cantwell and Buendia to move in-field and create opportunities in the centre. Playing like that, crossing from wide is not something Farkeball places much emphasis on at all; the focus is more on getting to the by-line closer in for pull backs to Pukki in the area. Also, Placheta may well be pacy and a good crosser, but how good is he at maintaining possession compared to those he will displace?
Those are two examples of why I question whether "more of the same but better" is really what we can expect.

 

But I don't see what bathwater there is to throw out. Our unexpected year in the Premiership has saved us financially so we are back in the Championship, where a Club of our size probably belongs, financially secure, with a more balanced squad and with a good chance of mounting a challenge for promotion again. What do those on the Pink Un Forum expect? If they seriously feel hard done by perhaps they ought to talk to fans of far bigger Clubs who are in a far worse position than we are.

 

How we play will be influenced by who we play. If we play Cantwell and Buendia, then it will be as you say but hopefully better with Dowell behind Pukki and Sørensen or Skipp in midfield. If we play Hernandez and Placheta, the emphasis changes so we get the ball forward more quickly on the counter. Which striker plays will also influence how we play. If it's Teemu, then we play as before but hopefully better. DF has this to say about Hugill:

“He offers something different to what we have in the squad. He’s a physical threat, who is also able to keep the ball under pressure. He’s good in the air and can attack crosses."

That implies another option we haven't had before.

 

You'll have to ask them 1950. I was simply asking what style of football we are going to be watching our team play this season.