In the preview that I wrote for last weekend’s match against Brighton I predicted a 2-0 Norwich win so it’d probably be advisable to take everything I write in this one with a pinch of salt… With that said, much of what I predicted prior to our last outing materialised – there was noticeable improvement in a plethora of areas when looking at the game overall. While the first half was, let’s be honest, dire; we managed to score three goals (including a collector’s item from Russell Martin) – albeit that we also conceded 3, leaving us with just a point.
So why am I still feeling positive? For me, there were positive signs on display that theoretically should be carried into this Reading fixture. Despite a handful of players having particularly poor performances (Johnson, Grabban and Jerome), we managed to put the ball in the back of the net multiple times, while players previously poor this season such as Hooper seemed to find form. In spite of this, it’s impossible to avoid the issue which is rapidly becoming an epidemic amongst the Norwich camp – our defence. Reading have been far from prolific thus far this campaign and one would hope that that in conjunction with our latest staff appointment of the revered Mike Phelan would aid in the bolstering of our back line. Essentially, we’re a consistently solid defence away from being a top three side.
Looking on then to our injury list, it’s in a similar state to what it was prior to the Brighton match, with Bunn, R. Bennett, Odjidja-Ofoe and Hoolahan still unavailable for selection, while Johnson will serve a one match ban for picking up two yellows against Brighton. Olsson and Tettey pulled through last match despite minor injury concerns and are presumably still in Adams’ plans for this outing. With this being the case, I’d choose a Starting XI that resembles something like this:
Predicted line up:
Ruddy obviously retains his place between the sticks, while I’m standing by my prediction that, given the chance, Miquel will prove our best CB alongside Turner in the absence of Ryan Bennett. Obviously, there’s really not much choice with the central midfield presuming we’ll play five in the middle as only three of our six players in this position are eligible for selection. Redmond is a sure starter on the right wing, while Jerome would play wide left in my side with Hooper replacing Grabban up top having demonstrated great improvements in our last clash.
Verdict:
Realistically, as optimistic as I’ve been about our current position in the table, we desperately need a win this Saturday – if for no other reason than a reminder that we’re able to. Like in my last preview, I’m confident, and despite being hopelessly wrong last time; I’m going for the same prediction: a 2-0 Norwich win.
