Norwich City succumbed to a limp exit in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup after a tough afternoon against Leeds United at Elland Road. But what can we as fans take away from the game?
1. An afternoon of regrets
It perhaps didn’t come as the biggest of shocks to followers of English football that Norwich City’s FA Cup campaign came to a screeching halt against a Premier League side.
But regular watchers of the Canaries would have noticed that it took them a little longer than usual to find their competitive nature under Philippe Clement.
There were certainly no excuses in terms of the starting eleven, with only Daniel Grimshaw not involved from the start from the previous weekend’s win over Leicester City.
Norwich were simply unable to cope with Leeds’ attacking threat, or offer anything that looked of any threat at the opposite end. But after the break, the chances started to come.
It is now all about what comes next under Clement, who will continue to demand of his players that the next time they play a Premiership side, they are far more competitive.
2. A mock exam for the Premier League
After such a fantastic start under Clement in the Championship, this game was a big measurement of how far Norwich have progressed since the Belgian’s appointment in November of last year.
He summed up the tie perfectly when he labelled the game as a ‘big challenge, good team, big club, big fan base’. It’s very hard to disagree with his assessment, even if Leeds are yet to secure their place in the Premier League for next season.
But his side just couldn’t cope with the gap in quality and the attacking threat Leeds possessed in the 90 minutes.
It took Norwich 57 minutes to register their first shot on target. But the damage had already been done in an opening 45 that felt similar in performance to Clement’s first game in charge against Birmingham City.
The way in which Leeds had so much joy down both flanks and found huge areas of space to play through Norwich’s midfield and defence was very alarming.
But against Premier League opponents, with the incentive of a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals, Leeds were always going to be bang up for it. It also reminded City fans that even though Clement is a fantastic manager, one thing he is not is a magician.
3. Raise a glass to Kenny
Sunday afternoon marked Kenny McLean’s 300th appearance in a yellow and green shirt, putting him right on the cusp of the top-10 appearance makers since both World Wars.
His first season ended with a league title winner’s medal, in which he missed out on the majority of the early stages after suffering injury against Stevenage in the Carabao Cup.
It would have been easy for McLean to have reached a level of contentment, maybe even a plateau in terms of his commitment, appetite and desire for more after two relegations from the Premier League and the sub-par seasons that have followed.
Both Daniel Farke and Clement paid their tributes, ahead of this landmark game, when he labelled McLean his ‘voice on the pitch’. But that doesn’t come as a surprise. Just go back and read the words of Liam Manning, Johannes Hoff Thorup, David Wagner, Dean Smith and Farke, since he came south from Aberdeen all those years ago.
McLean’s City career hasn’t exactly been defined by romance, just hard yards. There will be plenty more chapters left to write in City colours, even if he is now 34 years of age.
