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Rudolph Hucker

Outstanding!

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I cannot feel disappointed by this result despite Arsenal getting the rub of the green with the officials and some good chances missed.

I can''t remember the last time I saw Norwich look such a cohesive defensive unit over 90 minutes and if they''d had another day''s rest before this one the tiredness wouldn''t have been such a factor.

They played Arsenal off the park for most of the game and restricted them to speculative efforts.

This was a match where we found out how much we have progressed and how good some of our players are.

Clearly, we have two outstanding centre-halfs at last.

Pinto is a proper captain.

Gunn is a top keeper.

Maddison owned the stage.

The team spirit was amazing. No excuses for the schedules and a Norwich manager and team who DO care about cup games. I don''t know if anyone else saw it but Farke kept the players on the pitch in a huddle at the end and gave a team talk. I don''t know if I have ever seen that before.

I am so proud of that effort. We can draw so much from it.

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Here Here Rudolph. Great to really see a manager going for it in a cup. We are a team to be reckoned with. There is some depth to us for sure.

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Arsenal were lively and talented coming forward, in sharp contrast to the agriculturalists we faced on Sunday, but we kept them at bay for the most part.

I remember thinking that this was a real test of our newly found defensive acumen and we were excellent.

Even their two goals were from well taken corners into those crowded areas with all the usual pushing, pulling and shoving and whilst lapses on our part not really massive ones that should cause concern, imo.

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I didn''t see the extra time but Klose was superb again tonight. An absolute colossal. This is the man we paid all that money for.

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A tremendous effort but victories against Derby and Wolves will more than make up for the disappointment of tonight.

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So impressed by this performance. Can''t wait for the next game.

Before the game my dad asked me if I cared about the result. I replied not really but once the game started and we played so well, I found myself caring a lot.

As others have said nice to see the head coach fielding his best 11 in a cup game.

Onwards and upwards

OTBC

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I have to agree. I thought we were excellent last night and can take plenty from that. The biggest concern is the toll the last 2 games have taken ahead of 2 important home games. In both our last two games our strikers have been dead on their feet after 70 minutes but we''ve not been able to replace them. Maddison gets kicked from pillar to post in every game. Several players were cramping up last night.

It really was very unfair scheduling to have us play Sunday/Tuesday like that. It will be highlighted in Arsenal''s case, but actually its far harsher on us because we had to play more or less the same team in both games. They on the other hand have their UEFA Cup side who are fresh and keen to make an impact. Couple that with the fact that they are one of the fastest and most athletic sides you can come up against and I thought the physical effort on our part was monumental and that whilst we may not have their pace and athleticism we now have players who look technically just as good.

Even when our players were visibly out on their feet and Arsenal went in front (at which point i feared the floodgates might open) we still came back at them and could have levelled it up. Very proud of that effort and not too bothered about being out of that cup and we don;t need any more games at the moment, we need to get some players back fit and give a couple of players a rest if we can.

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Not sure I would say Norwich ''played Arsenal off the park for most of the game'' but certainly a battling, resilient display - with some promising attacking moves.

The game was last night as Tottenham''s game against West Ham is tonight, and Chelsea are also playing at home, so the Met Police wouldn''t want three big London teams all at home on the same day, on a weekday evening. (Especially as Tottenham v West Ham will require a lot of officers).

No one forced Farke to play his first team last night, that was his choice and if it impacts on league performances then he will have to accept that he may have made the wrong decision. Early word is Maddison may have injured himself last night, hence being subbed off. Also seems unlikely that Nelson will be able to go from not being fit enough to start on Sunday, play 120 mins on Tuesday and then be fit to start on Saturday.

I hope this valiant defeat won''t knock the stuffing out of Norwich a bit and derail the unbeaten run in the league. Norwich will have played 210 mins of football since Derby last played and that can''t be a good thing.

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But why does Tottenham v West Ham go on the wednesday whilst our game on the Tuesday?

Both Spurs and Arsenal played on Sunday (Arsenal away as well). We also played on Sunday. West ham played on Friday.

From a police perspective I would think having Arsenal and Chelsea at home at the same time is better than Spurs, Chelsea and West Ham to be honest.

Re the team I don;t think Farke really had any choice given our injuries, the fitness of the players and the need to be vaguely competitive. who else could he realistically have brought in or rested except for perhaps Franke?

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[quote user="Bethnal Yellow and Green"]

No one forced Farke to play his first team last night, that was his choice and if it impacts on league performances then he will have to accept that he may have made the wrong decision. Early word is Maddison may have injured himself last night, hence being subbed off. Also seems unlikely that Nelson will be able to go from not being fit enough to start on Sunday, play 120 mins on Tuesday and then be fit to start on Saturday.

I hope this valiant defeat won''t knock the stuffing out of Norwich a bit and derail the unbeaten run in the league. Norwich will have played 210 mins of football since Derby last played and that can''t be a good thing.[/quote]

The only consolation is that Wolves also played 120 minutes last night and lost against Man City so will have played the same as us by the time it comes to next week (even though they made several changes last night).   To be fit for Saturday will be a challenge imo, but it was only Tuesday with four days to recover.

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Tottenham was picked for the Wednesday TV game, so chances of having Tottenham and Arsenal on the same day were slim. Especially with a Chelsea home game to accommodate as well.

Given the large number of injuries Norwich already have, I think Farke should have been a bit more pragmatic and given minutes to players like Phillips and Cantwell - both have been on the bench recently and it would have been a good opportunity for them to impress. Not playing Franke (Norwich''s most expensive summer signing) when he is in need of minutes just seemed crazy.

Hopefully Zimmermann''s knee is okay, but even if there isn''t a direct injury after the exertions of last night, fatigue in players is proven to reduce their reaction times in future games, lead to players making more mistakes and increase the risk of long term injury. The winter schedule is gruelling

Playing those who have been involved in every game for a prolonged run (Maddison, Trybull, Zimmermann, Klose and Pinto - the last two who have a history of injuries) seems like a big gamble. Would be a shame to scupper the recent good run in the league through overworking them. If Maddison is injured and out for a even just a few weeks it significantly weakens Norwich at the moment, he is involved in all the goals Norwich scores, and there are precious few of them already.

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Looking on the positive side, if it means others get a chance of coming into the first team, then that could be a good thing if they do well, as it gives them confidence and the manager more choices to pick from.

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[quote user="Bethnal Yellow and Green"]Wovles only played 2 of their first team regulars last night. I doubt it will impact on them much.

Their two key players, Jota and Neves, didn''t even travel with the squad and were given the night off.[/quote]Even Ryan Bennett got a game. [:D]

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I would like usto to sign that Arsenal youngster on loan. Offers something different to our strikers and would provide real competition for places.

I doubt he will be a first team regular with Arsenal just yet

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My only negative from last night was the issue of zonal marking again! Was it just fatigue that meant Klose was zoned outside the area in front of goal and Pinto was there instead. However good Pinto is on side of the pitch he is relatively short and has no real spring so bloody useless in the six yard box if the ball is in the air. Thus he basically gave no defence to their Eddie as he bounded in.

Small negative aside, indeed it was an outstanding display.

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Great and entertaining game with an incredible atmosphere. Well done to all. Highlights however the need for a striker in Jan. We’ve also been incredibly unfortunate with injuries too probably not the best time for an injured Maddison. But then Naismith is due back soon (?) and it’s still of worth note to mention we’re very much a work in progress generally .

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Great game, proud of the boys.

Thought the game changed when Josh went off, his pace was always a threat - but he was obviously knackered so the decision was understandable. Yanic just didn''t get going, didn''t help that we were on the back foot and he was being asked to defend.

Onwards and upwards, hopefully everyone came through it ok (some rumours Maddison may have a niggle).

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I would imagine the players will take it easy in training. Work on their recovery and be ready for Saturday.The past 10 games or so have shown them that was is being asked is working.Th effort and fight are quickly achieving a very positive result.If we can drag out 4 points from Derby and Wolves then we will be well on our way to being in contention for promotion come next May.  A fortnights break after Bolton will be most welcome.

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Farke had the players in the gym on Sunday afternoon, he doesn''t seem to do easy workloads.

High intensity training and lack of rotation will often give results over a short period, but the long term can be problematic. Klopp and Wanger have both had issues with players getting burnt out and picking up injuries/suffering drops in performance. While Farke''s style of football is pretty different, it does seem he uses similar training methods.

Hopefully as you say the players are doing little more than a couple of jogs and some tactics work, I fear that the reality is very different.

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