Norwich v Sunderland: Five things learned
- Daniel Emery
- @DanielEmeryRS
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- 10 min read
I really don’t know how to respond to yesterday’s defeat, I commend anyone who is able to be positive after a result like that.
3-0 loss to Sunderland… Sunderland of all bloody teams. I think that was worse than the loss to Aston Villa, certainly far more damaging defeat, that is for sure. It was the worst performance from Norwich all season, worse than the Newcastle 6-2…
At least when we lost to Newcastle we actually looked like we could string a few passes together and score a few goals. I think Sunderland actually got through more times than Newcastle did against us, it’s just their finishing wasn’t as clinical.
I have picked out five things I think we can take from the game, now bear with me through this and keep in mind the utter depression we are all suffering after the defeat, as I may end up saying a few things people will be unhappy with… oh well!
Referees really don't like us
I don’t think we have had a single contentious decision go our way all season. Every single penalty appeal or offside goes against us, whether it is in our box or the opposition. We have had one penalty all season and even then it took Alberto Moreno to make a million bad tackles on Naismith before the referee pointed to the spot. Even in that game the ref seemed to give Liverpool every single decision.
Michael Oliver denied us a stonewall penalty last week and we could have had four penalties yesterday, Sunderland’s defence was all over the place but the referee didn’t seem bothered about refereeing fairly at all.
They just really don’t like us.
Klose was the only player that could keep us afloat
The only reason we strung a run of results together was that Timm Klose was in immense form. The towering central defender was the star player and only person preventing Sebastien Bassong from being in the side and making our defence a shambles.
Now he’s not going to play again for Norwich (he won’t stay in the Championship), we have to deal with Bassong at centre back for the rest of the season.
Any single time Sunderland put a ball over the top they were in behind our defence, Bassong had no clue where he was. He may as well have been a statue. No sense of awareness at all, he’s a liability and he will send us down.
It is all down to poor summer transfers, the summer before that too. We are going to finish the season with the same defenders as the year we were last relegated from the Premier League, which is beyond embarrassing and the board should be ashamed of how they have let that happen.
Alex Neil still hasn't learned
Fans have been saying all season “Alex Neil is a quality young manager and he will learn soon” . When is soon?
We have been saying it since the start of the season and now with four games left he still hasn’t learned? How long will it take? Because at the minute he is going to cost us relegation in what could be a massive season in our history.
I’m telling you now, fans who think we will go straight back up next season with Alex Neil in the Championship are going to be in for a hell of a surprise. It will be hard enough losing all of our best players, but the loss of money and lack of backroom staff to sign quality players will make it even harder. Not to mention the heartbreak of being relegated twice in three years, which will be devastating.
Neil still hasn’t learned after 34 Premier League games, plus last season and, so what makes people think he will learn anytime soon? He continues to pick the wrong team line-ups and go into every game with tactics that don’t suit the players or the team they are facing up against, what makes you think that will change next season?
Our sheer quality took us through last season in the Championship. There were still a number of games in which Alex Neil’s lack of tactical nous proved crucial; Wigan at home, Middlesbrough at home and Brentford at home to name a few.
So, what makes him such a good manager in everyone’s eyes?
We simply don't have enough Premier League quality
If you were another Premier League club, how many Norwich players would you look at and think ‘yeah, they could add to our squad’. I think there will be 6/7, maybe less.
Nathan Redmond, Timm Klose, Robbie Brady, Martin Olsson, Jonny Howson, Steven Naismith and Dieumerci Mbokani are the only ones who have shown they can cut it at the top-level. Even then, not many of them would get into the starting XI of other teams.
Gary O’Neil is a great example of not having Premier League quality. Sure, he has a lot of fight and spirit, which is good, but he doesn’t have Premier League quality. That is what has cost us time and again this season.
Look at Sunderland. They had Jan Kirchoff in holding midfield yesterday, he played better against us than O’Neil has ever played in his entire Norwich career. In fact, both of Sunderland’s midfielders, with Lee Cattermole also playing, outshone O’Neil. You need quality midfielders. We have one in Jonny Howson, but he needs a good partner.
The fact Norwich fans think he is Premier League quality when he is being completely dominated by a player from the team below us in the table is frankly laughable. I do like O’Neil as a character, but he just doesn’t have the ability required.
He isn’t the only one though, there are a number of players in our team that aren’t Premier League class. I have only picked O’Neil out because of Kirchoff’s performance for Sunderland.
Time to utilise youth?
With Timm Klose now out for the season, and Andre Wisdom likely to be too, it could be time to look into the youth to save our season.
I don’t think a single Norwich fan would be confident in any way shape or form with Bassong in the heart of our defence against Arsenal and Manchester United in our next two matches.
So, why not use the youth? I’ve been lucky enough to have seen Bassong play countless times and I can say without a doubt that he is not a Premier League defender. However, I have also been able to watch the under-21’s on a number of occasions this season and one player has stood out more than any; Joe Crowe.
The young English centre-back has been in sublime form for the youth side this season and is showing that he has a really bright future ahead of him. I’m not saying he is guaranteed to come in and be better than Bassong, but what is the risk? If Bassong is gifting teams goals anyway, what could Crowe do that is worse?
Just look at Sunderland’s last goalscorer yesterday; Duncan Watmore. He was given a chance by Sunderland from their youth set-up and been a revelation this season, Alex Neil hasn’t given any youth players such a chance.
Sending out Josh Murphy on loan this season when we had a dire lack of wingers was an appalling decision from Alex Neil. Not bringing him back from MK Dons in the January window was even worse. Murphy has already shown time and again he has what it takes to make it at Norwich but Neil never seems to give young players a chance… why?