Lack a cutting edge

[Samwam27 519]

First things 1st and NCFC are top of the Championship at start of the new year which is a tremendous achievement, and for long spells without key players.

However, I hope I'm not alone in thinking Norwich are an extremely stressful team to watch. For all the dominance of possession we've struggled all season to finish teams off, get goals and give ourselves a cushion, and providing fans with plenty of squeaky bum time edging past teams by a single goal.

Have been reading EDP this morning and Ian Clarke prints some interesting stats in his New years resolution article:

More goals, please: I mentioned the stats from the QPR game above. Even more stark are some figures from the brilliant Twitter account NCFC Numbers. City have had 364 shots this season - 42 more than anyone else in the Championship and 100 more than 21 of the 23 other teams. Yet City have a worse shots to goals conversion rate than anyone higher than 16th. We bagged 93 in the previous promotion campaign - 

We have likely the leagues best striker in Pukki, and I'm sure most would argue the best creative player in Buendia, but we have the worst shots to goals ration of anyone higher than 16th.

We certainly seem to lack a cutting edge this season. Its far from doom and gloom as we're top, and are clearing carving out plenty of chances, and I think we still haven't seen farke find his best starting 11.

How do you think we need to change things for us to click in top gear?

IMO I hope Dowell, once back to full fitness, will give us a No.10 in a trio of Cantwell and Buendia will increase the goals, both directly through those 3 and for Pukki. I think Placheta and Hernandez can provide width for a plan B to serve Hugill better (& we have Idah back too). I think we've played our best football with Skipp and Rupp in the centre (sorry Mclean) but I just have a feeling Sorenson is the missing link in the middle to provide more creativity, so would like to see him partnering Skipp or Rupp. And we desperately need for full back cover. Aarons is Mr dependent, but we've still got injuries over Mumba & Byram, and Xavi can't be relied upon remainder of season with his mystery hip injury. If we can sort those areas, it frees up Sorenson for the middle

But I still can't help thinking for all the new players we've bought, we're still lacking physical type players. Watford saw us off last week, and we struggled so badly in Premiership against teams that out muscled us. We're in top spot and feel we'll get a good run going again, but still we're very lightweight (muscle wise) with the squad we have? 

 

[Branston Pickle 3,638]

Dowell could be the key - think he will be the choice ahead of Vrancic et al when he’s fully fit; Vrancic is good but limited in mobility and not a 90 minute player (which cost us on Tuesday); we will also benefit when Placheta/Hernandez are fit.

Edited December 31, 2020 by Branston Pickle

[smooth 114]

I agree a lot with the OP what I will add is that when we came up we did have Hernandez and buendia as the support behind pukki.

This meant a technical player keen to come inside and a fast, energetic player used to challenging a full back in the outside. It meant that when they switched or throughout the game the defence had to be aware of both types of attack.

I do wonder if once fully fit we will move back to pace and technical on either side rather than 2 technical players.

We need goals from all over the pitch, so I hope we begin to see more names on the scoresheet and I agree be more greedy as it will certainly make oppositions drop if they go 1 or 2 goals behind. We do not want to look fragile with a 1-0 lead

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

I agree with your thoughts Sam.

Set piece goals are a substantial and crucial part of any teams armoury but for us its non existent.

Why does Buendia always take them and have we scored from one?

We see the CBs trot up for corners and free kicks and never rarely compete let alone make contact.

We also are lacking pace. Onel is quick but he is a winger. There is no-one in midfield who is sharp over the first five yards and can get away. Skipp, MacLean and Vrancic, through the middle are fairly slow.

What we do have is what others do not. The skill level to be able to play first time passes accurately. Trouble is, the opposition penalty areas are so packed, especially at CR, that it becomes too tight.

[TheGunnShow 5,933]

I sorta agree with the OP but think the criticism is a little on the harsh side considering that this season is somewhat of a rebuild considering the new players to be integrated, particularly the likes of Placheta, Sorensen, Skipp, Gibson, Quintilla and Dowell, not to mention to a lesser extent Rupp now he's playing in his strongest position in the middle of the park.

The most salient one is the criticism of set pieces. We do have an excellent free-kick taker in Vrancic, but considering how often Hanley gets on the end of attacking corners this season, we don't cause enough trouble. Quintilla does look like he hits a very tasty corner so maybe the likes of Hanley and Hugill can start licking their lips and lining them up.

[Big O 225]

I do think you have to take into consideration the number of injuries we have had this season that has probably stopped us playing what Farke thinks is his best side and building up the relationships and cohesion in our play. To be top despite all of this is some achievement yet I also think we don’t yet know what our best side is.

Quntilla gave us natural width down the left when he played but whipped a lot of balls into the box that we didn’t really capitalise on as we only really got Pukki in the box as stipermann, Cantwell and Buendia all try and play in between the lines, hopefully the natural desire of Dowell to get in the box will give us a better edge here.

I have also said before on here that I prefer it when we have one wide player with pace staying wider and higher. Might not be a popular decision (and to be fair it did work against Cardiff) but I don’t like Cantwell and Buendia played on the left and right as both come centrally and this makes it easier for teams to pack the middle and block us out. Hernandez wide with his ability to beat a man, Buendia coming to play narrow and Dowell Interchanging with Buendia and then getting in the box I think is our best team. I think then it is Skipp and McClean/Rupp with Vrancic an option against teams siting deep late doors. Gibson and Hanley at centre back and we look balanced again.

Harsh on Cantwell and I have no doubts of his quality and maybe he plays in the Buendia role if he leaves for Arsenal. 

Edited December 31, 2020 by Big O
Typo

[ridgeman 130]

Whilst I agree with the OP I feel that we had this problem last time in this league. Whilst our centrebacks play the ball between themselves we are allowing opposition players to get behind the ball and their defence organised. Our build up play whilst attractive at times is so often sideways and slow again allowing the opposition to get behind the ball and allowing them to pack their eighteen yard box making it difficult to get near their goal. We need to attack much quicker and more direct to present more problems to the opposition, sometimes shooting from distance to get the deflections that arise from packed defences. 

[sonyc 5,492]

13 minutes ago, ridgeman said:

Whilst I agree with the OP I feel that we had this problem last time in this league. Whilst our centrebacks play the ball between themselves we are allowing opposition players to get behind the ball and their defence organised. Our build up play whilst attractive at times is so often sideways and slow again allowing the opposition to get behind the ball and allowing them to pack their eighteen yard box making it difficult to get near their goal. We need to attack much quicker and more direct to present more problems to the opposition, sometimes shooting from distance to get the deflections that arise from packed defences. 

Good post. Our failure (relatively) in moving the ball really quickly simply allows the other team to organise and compress. Our play has been like we are trying to pick a safe! It needs a bit of luck then or incredible skill to open that defence. It all starts with mucking about and losing valuable playing time especially when 0-0. 

Bournemouth and Brentford are much quicker and score more goals. It's more risky but technically they have ability. We did it in 18/19 but far less this season (unless we start to run out of time). As @ron obvioushas stated recently even Liverpool have struggled against teams that sit in. 

Hopefully we will get out of this habit. Onel H and PP back will help.

[overthebordercanary 140]

Hanley had once chance against QPR from when a free kick which  had been cleared and Buendia put in a cross from the clearance which he hit with the top of his head, if he had made proper contact it would have been on target at least.

Edited December 31, 2020 by overthebordercanary
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[dylanisabaddog 4,877]

Hopefully the pace that Hernandez and Placheta bring will be available again soon. It's much easier to defend against us without them. We have hugely gifted attacking players but none of them is really capable of making defenders turn back towards their own goal. Feels to me that we are just too predictable at the moment and the opposition has sussed out how to defend against us. A lot of the goals we scored last time round came from moving the ball quickly and accurately from one end to the other. 

The difficulty Farke will have is who to leave out when those two players are available. I would always start with Emi and Todd if they are available. 

[Capt. Pants 4,202]

Placheta is a big loss. What I like about him is that he runs at players inside the box and has already won us a couple of penalties. We saw the same outcome when Cantwell did likewise against QPR. Eye of a needle passes and intricate 'one twos' are so difficult to get right and look horribly bad when they go wrong.

I also think we'll get better when Placheta and/or Hernandez are available. For now we need to grind out the results.

[vos 155]

I fully agree with the general tone of this thread. Farke/Webber have done well on a very limited outlay and it looks as if we will be promoted again. We are excellent in our possession and weaving triangular passing albeit very slow build up. But having watched nearly all of our games on TV we are very predictable but completely reliant on finding Pukki/Buendia in the box in a tight position. As is repeatedly said we never look like scoring from corners and set pieces. So yes we play to our strengths but will again be blown away in the Premiership which is full of tall, strong athletic players. Vrancic for example is just not up to it. His weak tackle on Tuesday being a classic. Hudgill is anonymous because we just do not, or cannot play that sort of normal way to suit him. Max is good, but is he rough and big enough to cope. I don't see him going for very big money.

As someone stated earlier we are very frustrating to watch. Perhaps a credit to German efficiency but every match so far has more or less looked the same. We rarely set out to score early and relax a bit. Just tick over and the result will come. I certainly do not see us being better equipped to survive the Premiership this time around. But having said all that I do agree with the Club's financial policy so where do we go from here. Don't ask me - I have only been watching them since 1948 !!

[Bill 1,788]

On 31/12/2020 at 19:56, ridgeman said:

Whilst I agree with the OP I feel that we had this problem last time in this league. Whilst our centrebacks play the ball between themselves we are allowing opposition players to get behind the ball and their defence organised. Our build up play whilst attractive at times is so often sideways and slow again allowing the opposition to get behind the ball and allowing them to pack their eighteen yard box making it difficult to get near their goal. We need to attack much quicker and more direct to present more problems to the opposition, sometimes shooting from distance to get the deflections that arise from packed defences. 

"possession and weaving triangular passing albeit very slow build up."

"we are just too predictable at the moment and the opposition has sussed out how to defend against us"

steady on old chaps, you'll have the 'senile sign ins' reaching for their other names as they wind themselves up about the thought that we may have been found out. Or our build up is too slow/

odd how there has not been a peep from the bewhiskered seventy somethings over the same points made here - whereas when I posted them all hell was let loose, and that thread became the 'Jurassic Park', of Father Ted fame

worth having a look at the re-actions to the OP

within seconds of thread going up we had a bout of dentures rattling, spittle flying and bones a creakin' as the elderly spluttered out their bile

[hogesar 9,618]

8 minutes ago, Bill said:

"possession and weaving triangular passing albeit very slow build up."

"we are just too predictable at the moment and the opposition has sussed out how to defend against us"

steady on old chaps, you'll have the 'senile sign ins' reaching for their other names as they wind themselves up about the thought that we may have been found out. Or our build up is too slow/

odd how there has not been a peep from the bewhiskered seventy somethings over the same points made here - whereas when I posted them all hell was let loose, and that thread became the 'Jurassic Park', of Father Ted fame

worth having a look at the re-actions to the OP

within seconds of thread going up we had a bout of dentures rattling, spittle flying and bones a creakin' as the elderly spluttered out their bile

I'm 28 but still thought you were talking ****e.