--- title: "Has Timm Klose lost his edge?" canonical: "https://readnorwich.com/2016/11/03/has-timm-klose-lost-his-edge/" type: "post" language: "en-GB" author: "Daniel Emery" section: "Articles" published: "2016-11-03T10:43:03Z" modified: "2016-11-03T10:43:03Z" --- # Has Timm Klose lost his edge? It is no secret that there have been troublesome times in East Anglia of late, and not just in Suffolk… Alex Neil and his side were in euphoria at the end of September. The Canaries sat top of the Championship, with Neil also claiming the Sky Bet Championship manager month of award. Norwich played six games in September and won five – losing just once, which came against Newcastle at St.James’ Park. This included a run of five wins in-a-row as they beat Wigan, Cardiff, Nottingham Forest, Everton and Burton. Yet, elated times have swiftly manifested into dark depression as City fans crawl back into their homes to hide away from embarrassment at recent form. City fans would have been wise to stay away from social media over the weekend after Norwich’s drubbing at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion down South. As a student at Southampton Solent I am surrounded by southerners, so escaping from gloating Brighton fans has not been easy – especially when you live with one – but hopefully everyone else coped alright. One man who certainly will not have been happy with his own performances is Timm Klose. ![Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readnorwich.com/readnorwich/2016/11/619012700.jpg) Klose was heavily criticised on Saturday for his part in the hammering against Brighton. His attempt to pirouette beyond a Brighton midfielder in his own half before falling over and gifting the ball to Anthony Knockaert – who went on to score – was berated by Norwich fans many times over the last 72 hours. This is not to say he was the only one at fault. There was not a single player on the pitch for Norwich on Saturday who could say they played anywhere near the required level. Michael McGovern, Russell Martin, Ryan Bennett and Martin Olsson all had their share of mistakes in the goals. However, they have not set the standard for their performances as high as Klose has since joining the club. Klose has been revered by Norwich fans since his arrival at the club for being a top-class central defender. Yet, some fans are starting to doubt their original conclusions – with a small minority even calling for him to be dropped. I have seen the words ‘overrated’ and ‘uninterested’ brandished in relation to Klose – which is bemusing to me. If anything, Klose seems the most interested out of everyone. He’s clearly a good player to have in the dressing room and is a down to earth, calm, personality to have at the club. An undervalued and important cog in the engine of a team – bad eggs cause unrest, Klose certainly is not a bad egg… As for being overrated it depends on your perspective. Calling him overrated is very subjective, as there are sections of supporters who rate him differently. Sure, there are bound to be some fans who rate him too highly, but that is the norm for any player at any club in the world. Coming into the Championship season, many Norwich fans adjudged Klose to be the best central defender in the division. Although – 15 game into the season – the divide between Klose and the rest is nowhere near as apparent as they expected. Calling Klose the best centre back in the Championship at present would certainly be met with an interesting response after recent form. Klose has struggled to find his rhythm in the Championship alongside Martin, and Bennett. ![Stephen Pond/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readnorwich.com/readnorwich/2016/11/614824492.jpg) Despite some recent sub-standard performances, Klose has still won our Read Norwich player of the month award two months running (September & October) and is still showing signs of his class from last season. I have even seen some fans claim Klose is not even the best central defender at the club, which is a ludicrous statement, to say the least. For example, just looking at stats along – Klose is superior to Martin and Bennett. Klose has averaged ten defensive actions per game this season, three more than Martin and four more than Bennett. He has also won 58% of his duels, with Martin on 53% and Bennett on just 49%. Klose’s passing accuracy is respectable, too, at 78%. This is level with Bennett’s and far better than Martin’s 69%. The big Swiss is, by far, the best central defender Norwich have on their books at present and it would be suicide to even contemplate dropping him from the side – irrespective of one bad performance. On the whole, this season, he has been dependable and reliable at the back. His aerial ability is unparalleled – certainly in the Norwich squad, and perhaps across the Championship as well. Despite a section of fans turning on the German-born defender, he has won our player of the month award two months running. This shows that he is not doing as badly as some are making out. The criticism of him in recent weeks is likely to have been sourced from the high standards that he has set himself in the past. After joining from Wolfsburg in January, his performances in the Premier League for Norwich were sublime. If it were not for his crushing injury against Crystal Palace, Norwich may have secured their survival with Klose in defence last season. Now, there are sections of supporters who want Klose dropped from the team or, in an even smaller minority, sold. Looking at the stats of the other centre backs Norwich have on offer, that is certainly out of the question completely. If there is any player in the Norwich squad who can turn around the club’s poor defensive record it is the Swiss international. That I can say for sure. In conclusion, has Timm Klose lost his edge? No. He hasn’t. Klose is currently going through a sticky patch but it coincides with Norwich’s other defensive players hitting a bad spell. Klose is still, easily, one of the best central defenders in the division and will prove that over the course of this season.