The curious case of Jonny Howson is one that has baffled me many a time this season. Alex Neil’s preference to play him out on the right side of midfield is odd considering how effective he can be through the middle.
When Howson first joined Norwich from Leeds in 2012 he was seen as one of the most promising English central midfielders in the Championship and looked set for a bright future with Canaries. He was also touted as a future Norwich captain given his captaincy at Leeds; despite being very young at the Yorkshire side.
He played 11 Premier League matches under Paul Lambert and scored one goal. It wasn’t an amazing start but he showed promise with his box-to-box tenacious play for Norwich, illustrated in his first goal for the club against Everton as he found himself in the box to bundle it in.
In his second season he wasn’t too much better as he started just 22 matches and scored two goals, getting one assist as well. Norwich fans were hoping this would be the season he kicked on and performed. Norwich finished 11th that season and Howson really showed his class in the last two matches of the season. Firstly, he scored a world-class goal against West Brom at Carrow Road when he curled the ball into the top-corner from 20-yards. Then, he produced one of the best goals a Norwich player has scored in the Premier League, ever, when he took on half the Manchester City team before slotting past Joe Hart in a 3-2 win at The Etihad.
Following on from those two goals, Norwich fans thought they were really going to start to see the best from Howson but he went on to make just 23 appearances in the Premier League as Norwich were relegated to the Championship and he scored just two goals.
That brings us to last season. Howson was one of the players that Norwich did very well to keep hold of and that proved crucial. Even though Norwich had a very topsy-turvy first half of the season under Neil Adams; Jonny Howson was one of the few players that impressed on a more regular basis. Howson finished the season with nine goals and six assists as Norwich stormed back to the Premier League via the play-offs.
Howson really showed his quality throughout the season and was an integral part of the side; really starting to grow as a player and as a leader on the pitch. He scored some vital goals and produced some memorable moments last term. His goal against Ipswich in the play-offs was a highlight of his season, as well as a stunning solo goal against Milwall in a 4-1 win.
Coming into this current Premier League season, I for one was really excited to see what Howson could produce in the Premier League in a central role and looked forward to seeing him contribute more goals than he did in his previous top-flight campaigns with City.
However, instead of being deployed in his more natural, and more effective, central position; Howson has been shoved out on the wings this season. This has really hampered the amount of impact he can have on a game as, more often than not, he isn’t able to collect the ball in areas where he can get shots away and he doesn’t really have the pace to bomb down the wing. This leaves Howson in a precarious position as he can’t show fans what he is really capable of.
It isn’t all Alex Neil’s fault for putting him there. Norwich’s lack of out-and-out wingers is to blame. With just Matt Jarvis, Robbie Brady and Nathan Redmond currently in the squad who are wingers, it leaves Neil with little options. Those options have become limited to just Redmond following Brady’s switch to left back and Jarvis’ injury.
This has led to Howson being played in the wide areas to cover for over players, however, Neil really needs to start seeing where Howson’s potential is… through the middle. I genuinely think that if Howson was given a prolonged run of games through the middle then he would score goals. He is a goal scoring, box-to to box midfielder and needs to be in a central position to be able to get chances to score goals.
So far this season Howson has scored two goals and got assists in the Premier League, despite playing out wide, and both of those goals were very important. His first goal came in the 1-0 win over Swansea at Carrow Road when he headed home from close range. His second then came more recently in the 2-0 win over Aston Villa at Carrow Road when he superbly volleyed home from inside the penalty area to open the scoring the match.
With the second half of the season to come and the rest of the January transfer window to come I just hope that he isn’t pushed out of the side due to incoming signings because I really feel that when used in his best position; he is one of Norwich’s most influential players.
Alex Tettey and Gary O’Neil have been Norwich’s first-choice central midfielders of late, much to my dismay as I really see O’Neil as a pointless player, but I think that Howson would slot into one of those positions perfectly. I would really like to see a midfield two of Tettey and Howson.
A common theme of Norwich’s play this season has been our lone striker being left isolated upfront due to our midfielders not getting up in support and helping to get into the box so crosses can be put in. This is because both of our central midfielders are holding midfielders who don’t tend to get forward too much. Tettey scores the odd goal now and then but I can never see someone like O’Neil bursting forward and scoring from 20-yards or running the length of the pitch to head the ball in from a cross. Yet, I think Howson has all the qualities to be able to do that.
I think that Tettey and Howson would make the perfect midfield duo. Tettey is a fantastic player at breaking up play and winning the ball in the middle of the park and Howson is superb at pushing the ball forward and driving the team up the pitch, couple with the propensity to score goals. A duo like this in the middle of the park could be fantastic for Norwich in the second half of the Premier League season and I really hope that Alex Neil gives it a try at least.
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