How to fix the midfield in 15 minutes

[Petriix 3,219]

Hats off to Dean Smith, because that's exactly what he did. That first half was a shambles aside from scoring with our only effort. We were completely outplayed in midfield with the three advanced midfielders all guilty of failing to track their men repeatedly.

How it was 1-1 at half time I still don't understand. There were some fleeting moments when we had the ball but, while we were clearly trying to be more compact and harder to break down out of possession, we gave them so much space and so much time on the ball.

Cantwell was perhaps unlucky to be singled out but he obviously lacks match fitness so it was an understandable substitute. It was an inspired move but, it wasn't just the change in personnel, the whole midfield was transformed at half time.

Sargent gave Southampton a real problem. He pressed, harried, fought for the ball and held it up well. When we lost the ball he tracked back with pace and determination. Where Rashica had been frequently caught out in the first half (before swapping flanks at half time), Sargent was solid.

Gilmour was excellent in the second half really working off the ball and linking up play. But it was the defensive work that stood out to me. He put in blocks, made intelligent fouls and tracked his man consistently in a way I've not seen him do before.

We were somehow both more defensively solid and a far greater attacking threat. The midfield went from shambolic in the first half to organised, disciplined and dynamic in the second half.

Who knows what Dean Smith said at half time, but it was a real transformation.

[Robert N. LiM 6,279]

Couldn't have worked out much better for Smith. Many of the worst features of the Farke era in the first half; total transformation in the second. Of course, it's never as simple as that, but what a start for the new guy. OTBC

[Dame to Blame 108]

Thats the experienced that we have hired, can do game  management and knows what it takes to mould a team. 

Lets not forget his side kick shaky who also has years of experience in this division. Now we might not be the rudeless ship we had become to a mangement team who know what there doing.

[Flying Dutchman 766]

Hee did all I ask for of a Norwich manager. Identify when it's going wrong and damn well change things.

Fair play to him. Taking Todd off for Saregnt was not only right, but reaped incredible rewards - Sargent was fantastic.

But agreed, whatever he said really did the job, you just can't ask much more than that.

[cambridgeshire canary 7,797]

He clearly put an extra sugar in the players teas at half time 😉

[hogesar 10,762]

Another manager / head coach who rates McLean more than the PinkUn massive too.

Thought Kenny was good today, and it's hardly surprising his peers in football rate him so highly.

[Midlands Yellow 4,682]

4 minutes ago, hogesar said:

Another manager / head coach who rates McLean more than the PinkUn massive too.

Thought Kenny was good today, and it's hardly surprising his peers in football rate him so highly.

Young Gilmour was nice and tidy 2nd half too. 

[hogesar 10,762]

Just now, Midlands Yellow said:

Young Gilmour was nice and tidy 2nd half too. 

Yes was good second half. First half he was abysmal and when we arent on the front foot he needs to learn to track runners and have the awareness to know whats going on around him.

[Ian 1,211]

Just now, Midlands Yellow said:

Young Gilmour was nice and tidy 2nd half too. 

Was it he or Norman who hit that incredible volleyed-outside-of-the-boot pass during the second half?

[Rich T The Biscuit 676]

Cantwell was not unlucky to be singled out, he was terrible and completely off the pace.

[Faded Jaded Semi Plastic SOB 1,222]

4 minutes ago, Rich T The Biscuit said:

Cantwell was not unlucky to be singled out, he was terrible and completely off the pace.

Agree......taxi for Mr Cantwell..........

[Midlands Yellow 4,682]

5 minutes ago, hogesar said:

Yes was good second half. First half he was abysmal and when we arent on the front foot he needs to learn to track runners and have the awareness to know whats going on around him.

There were so many abysmal performances first half you couldn’t pick a winner (dead heat perhaps between Todd and Hanley) Second half tactics were spot on, Todd was pulled off and every player contributed. Even me and you won’t fall out tonight 😉

[Capt. Pants 5,008]

The difference today was Normann was told to sit and he ****ing sat. None of this wandering around **** that we saw under Farke.

Sargent was excellent 2nd half and nullified their left WB. 

[GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary 2,035]

Credit to Smith for the h/t ...but credit also to Hassenhutl who gave a second half masterclass in how to lose a game

..played 3 different formations in the 2nd half, each progressively worse and each making them less of a goal threat, culminating in them bringing on an extra centre back and going 5 at the back...AGAINST US!!

...extrordinary display of management.  Smith almost just had to stand by and watch Southampton self destruct

[Zurich Canary 11]

17 minutes ago, Ian said:

Was it he or Norman who hit that incredible volleyed-outside-of-the-boot pass during the second half?

Norman - fabulous pass into Rashica’s run

[MORDENCANARY 71]

Indeed if Farke had still been in charge nothing would have changed until the 80th minute and by then we would've been behind and lost again.

[Ian 1,211]

3 minutes ago, Zurich Canary said:

Norman - fabulous pass into Rashica’s run

Thanks. Will have to watch the highlights, but from where I was sitting it's one of the very best I've seen at Carrow Road.

Edited November 20, 2021 by Ian

[Christoph Stiepermann 1,261]

2 minutes ago, GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary said:

Credit to Smith for the h/t ...but credit also to Hassenhutl who gave a second half masterclass in how to lose a game

..played 3 different formations in the 2nd half, each progressively worse and each making them less of a goal threat, culminating in them bringing on an extra centre back and going 5 at the back...AGAINST US!!

...extrordinary display of management.  Smith almost just had to stand by and watch Southampton self destruct

He's a good manager but a real arrogant so and so. The first thing he spoke about when he got the Southampton job was about how it could raise his profile and his reputation. Clearly one of those who thinks he's a bit better than he actually is. 

[Petriix 3,219]

17 minutes ago, Rich T The Biscuit said:

Cantwell was not unlucky to be singled out, he was terrible and completely off the pace.

Apart from getting involved in one decent attack and generally tracking back quite well (which is more than Rashica did - he kept failing to track his man). Yes, Cantwell was off the pace, but not really more so than Gilmour or Rashica.

Sargent was a vast improvement.

[astro 423]

20 minutes ago, Petriix said:

Apart from getting involved in one decent attack and generally tracking back quite well (which is more than Rashica did - he kept failing to track his man). Yes, Cantwell was off the pace, but not really more so than Gilmour or Rashica.

Sargent was a vast improvement.

I’m not sure it was a case of Rashica not tracking his runners, it was a lack of communication between him, Aarons and Gilmour that left their No.2 in acres of space for most of the first half. Max was constantly getting pulled into the centre whilst Rashica was trying to press. It needed Gilmour to press himself, or track the No.2 - but all to often he was drifting around in space not really doing much and easily getting bypassed. He had a much better second half, but I do think that was because of Sargent’s industry giving him more of a chance to shine. 

Edited November 20, 2021 by astro

[hogesar 10,762]

47 minutes ago, Midlands Yellow said:

There were so many abysmal performances first half you couldn’t pick a winner (dead heat perhaps between Todd and Hanley) Second half tactics were spot on, Todd was pulled off and every player contributed. Even me and you won’t fall out tonight 😉

Dunno, there's a good few hours left..

[hogesar 10,762]

37 minutes ago, Ian said:

Thanks. Will have to watch the highlights, but from where I was sitting it's one of the very best I've seen at Carrow Road.

Yes. However Normann was very guilty of giving the ball away so unnecessarily in the first half,  more so than both Gilmour and McLean. 

Second half he was much better, but its been quite a  regular thing with him.

[Rock The Boat 1,332]

I was dubious about Smith coming in mainly concerned about how he would manage a lower quality squad. But Smith absolutely won that game with his half-time tactical changes, something I can't remember seeing under Daniel.

In the first half, Cantwell was continuously robbed of the ball, allowing Southampton to build up attack after attack. In the second half, Sargant played a couple of yards deeper than he did in DF's teams and that allowed him to get across at defenders and harry them into making mistakes and allowing Maclean to join in the press along with Pukki. That immediately nullified Southampton's build up play and let us get into the game more. 

So a perfect start for the new Boss and it will nudge any sceptical players (and perhaps Pinkun posters) in the direction of accepting we have a tactically astute manager on board.

[AJ 1,358]

Fair play to Smith for getting it right but it was fairly obvious to me we needed to change shape to match Saints and nullify their attacks. Virtually everyone I spoke to at half time was saying the same thing

[Petriix 3,219]

37 minutes ago, astro said:

I’m not sure it was a case of Rashica not tracking his runners, it was a lack of communication between him, Aarons and Gilmour that left their No.2 in acres of space for most of the first half. Max was constantly getting pulled into the centre whilst Rashica was trying to press. It needed Gilmour to press himself, or track the No.2 - but all to often he was drifting around in space not really doing much and easily getting bypassed. He had a much better second half, but I do think that was because of Sargent’s industry giving him more of a chance to shine. 

Leaving their fullback unmarked wasn't the real issue. It was Rashica consistently failing to track the runner from midfield whenever Max went to cover the fullback. While it would normally fall to the wide midfielder to cover the opposite fullback when out of possession, you absolutely have to pick up *someone*. It was poor from Rashica however you look at it. 

[Zurich Canary 11]

13 hours ago, Ian said:

Thanks. Will have to watch the highlights, but from where I was sitting it's one of the very best I've seen at Carrow Road.

It was, the weight was just perfect

[Van wink 2,994]

You need tactical nouse and some luck, we had both yesterday and long may it continue, great start.

Edited November 21, 2021 by Van wink

[Rottingdean canary 138]

44 minutes ago, Zurich Canary said:

It was, the weight was just perfect

Efan Ekoku (on the stream I was watching) was effusive in his praise of that pass and some other moments in the second half from Normann saying he could do "anything with a football". He didn't look so good in the first half (took me ages to notice he was playing but maybe because he's lost his bleached hair) and it reminded me a bit of watching him playing for Norway during the week when he was pretty anonymous - obviously being a holding midfielder rather than the inspirational box-to-box player I've already grown to love.  With the way we pushed forward in the second half, it was great to see him feature more in an attacking sense.  I wouldn't want to loose that just because we haven't managed to find a good defensive midfielder.

[BroadstairsR 2,273]

Cantwell was off the pace from the word go, and he also got a nasty kicking the first time he went near the ball.

He'll be fully up and running soon.

Sargent was inspired. What a find! To think some on here were lamenting the passing of Hugill.

Most pleasing to me however is that we are finally seeing the quality of Rashica. He's another good 'un and we just need Tzolis to come good, Gilmour to feel at home at last and that window need not have been such a failure after all.

I note that Kabak has joined the ever present list of scapegoats some on this forum need. Little faults in his game are being magnified or even invented, whilst his strengths ignored. He's young, new to the club, and boy could we have done with the likes of his presence in the squad the last time we were in the Premier League.

(I note that Gibson has also been questioned of late by those who must find fault. We are NCFC we should have a Van Dijk or a Maguire (??) in central defence after all.)

Smith rightly went for experience in the middle of defence yesterday, and it paid off.

Andrew O wasn't "dropped" as such, and Kabak wasn't sidelined because of any inadequacies. It's a squad game now, and Smith selected for the occasion. Both are young and will have their moments this season.  

[Jim Smith 2,610]

13 hours ago, AJ said:

Fair play to Smith for getting it right but it was fairly obvious to me we needed to change shape to match Saints and nullify their attacks. Virtually everyone I spoke to at half time was saying the same thing

Yes it was. They were playing it to the right then switching it left where they had a 2 on 1 overlap every time. Fixing that by putting Sargent there and him pressing/pushing their full back deeper was the thing that changed it not taking off Cantwell per se.

Rashica was markedly better once switched to the left wing as well. He needs to play on the left.