- Norwich face automatic promotion-chasing Millwall at The Den on Monday
- Wright could drop out of the starting line-up after playing against Portsmouth
- A close look at the player who should return to the starting XI for the Canaries
Norwich City have a chance to almost instantly bounce back from their 1-1 draw with Portsmouth when they face Millwall on Monday.
The Canaries travel to London to take on the second-best team in the division in the second game of their busy Easter weekend schedule.
Pelle Mattsson’s late own goal against Pompey meant that Norwich failed to pick up all three points on Friday, and Philippe Clement will be looking to make amends by spoiling Millwall’s party.
With two games in four days, Norwich’s head coach could make some alterations to his starting line-up for tactical and fitness reasons.
Why Wright should be dropped by Norwich
One change that the Belgian tactician could make to improve his team’s offensive output against the Lions is to take Jacob Wright out of the starting line-up.
The English youngster played as the number ten against Portsmouth and put in a respectable display with his composed passing, earning a 7/10 player rating from Read Norwich.
However, Wright ended the match with zero shots on goal, zero ‘big chances’ created, and zero dribbles attempted.
The former Manchester City academy prospect is not a natural number ten, as evidenced by his zero goals in 43 games for Norwich, and Clement needs genuine attacking quality to get at Millwall.
| 25/26 Championship | Jacob Wright |
| Games Played | 25 |
| Shots Taken | 19 |
| Shots on Target | 6 |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 1.07 |
| xG per Shot | ~0.056 |
| Goals Scored | 0 |
Monday’s opponents have only conceded more than one goal in one of their last seven outings in the Championship, which is why the Yellows need to be at their very best in possession.
Given that Oscar Schwartau and Paris Maghoma started against Portsmouth, the natural replacement for Wright would be Anis Ben Slimane, but that is not who Clement could recall to the XI.
Norwich star who should replace Wright
Bringing the Tunisia international, who has scored five goals in the league this season, into the team would mean that Schwartau and Maghoma both stay out wide, leaving Norwich with a lack of pace.
That is why Slimane should be left on the bench to come on in the second half as an impact substitute, with Ali Ahmed replacing Wright in the starting XI instead.
This change would allow Maghoma, who earned a player rating of 7.5 against Pompey, to play as the number ten, with Ahmed on the left and Schwartau switched over to the right.
The former Brentford star, who was involved in the build-up of Mattsson’s goal on Friday, looks at his best when he picks the ball up in central areas and can drift to both flanks, rather than being restricted to one side.
If Slimane comes into the side, Maghoma would be stuck on the right wing too often, receiving the ball with his back to goal and tight to the touchline rather than in areas where he can turn and run at the middle of the goal.
Bringing Ahmed into the XI would also provide Norwich with natural width and pace on the left, providing the team with a valuable outlet in transition.
The Canada international has scored four goals and provided three assists in 12 league starts since his January move to Norfolk, and will be hoping to add to that tally against Millwall.
Hopefully, an attacking trident of Schwartau, Maghoma, and Ahmed can supply Mathias Kvistgaarden or Mohamed Toure with the chances that they need to disrupt Alex Neil’s promotion charge.
