After Norwich City's 3-1 loss to Blackburn Rovers yesterday, Samuel Seaman delivers six things you might have missed from Carrow Road.
Home discomforts
If last season resembled Alex Neil’s stuttering 2016-17 campaign, current events are a throwback to the years of Nigel Worthington’s downfall and Glenn Roeder’s subsequent reign.
The statistics prove that theory, with this the first time since 2006 they’ve lost three consecutive home games outside the top flight.
After such a positive start to life in NR1 this season that seemed a distant and unlikely possibility, but not even the disaster of 2022-23 produced such a fruitless run at Carrow Road.
What only weeks ago was a safe haven for David Wagner has become a toxic melting pot in which the German, Stuart Webber and the board are chastised, and it doesn’t look like it’s getting any easier.
The long trip to Cardiff City provides some respite from that particular problem until the other side of the international break, but the yellow and green faithful are baying to see someone different the next time they gaze upon that hallowed dugout.
Leakier than anyone
City have now conceded three more goals than any other side in the Championship, having let the ball into their net 30 times in the division’s first 15 games.
A ratio of two goals conceded per game isn’t close to sustainable for any professional side, let alone one with its two best strikers out through long-term injury.
Shane Duffy’s charge into midfield and subsequent absence as Sammie Szmodics broke into the Norwich box were an example of what’s become his trademark in recent weeks: errors leading to goals.
With the Irishman now suspended and Ben Gibson absent until Christmas, a new look defence will take to the pitch at Cardiff next weekend.
That provides a glimmer of hope for fans hoping to see something different in South Wales, but Wagner’s tactics have been a significant part of the problem and won’t change overnight.
Whether he gets the chance to make those decisions remains to be seen, but if he does the Bluebirds will be licking their lips at the prospect of a meeting with the Norfolk side.
Bright spark
There aren’t many positives to discuss when it comes to City’s present form, but Kellen Fisher will be pleased that he’s quietly emerging as one despite the failings of his team-mates.
The 19-year-old made an impressively creative and composed cameo amid the chaos after Scott Wharton’s red card gave Wagner belief that some changes could get his side back in the game.
After another disappointing outing for once-fan favourite Jack Stacey, the former Bromley youngster has surely boosted his hopes of starting again in the coming weeks.
In a squad of aging and under-par players, Fisher’s bright future was one of few pleasant strands to a dour afternoon for Norwich fans
Any chance for Idah?
Despite a raft of substitutions attempting to take the initiative midway through the second period, Adam Idah was left on the substitutes’ bench for the duration of the Canaries’ fourth consecutive league loss.
That appeared a fairly inexplicable decision from Wagner, when Kenny McLean had been forced into a centre-back role so that more wingers could feature in the final 30 minutes.
But the 52-year-old chose not to introduce the Irishman despite numerous balls dropping to the space a second striker would surely have occupied, while Idah miserably trudged along the touchline in the late stages.
His abandonment from a regular starting berth is yet another curious quirk of Wagner’s recent team selections, despite Hwang Ui-jo opening his City goalscoring account at Sunderland.
A penny for his thoughts
Speaking of curious team selection, summer arrival Danny Batth must be wondering what on earth he has to do to break into the starting XI.
Not only was he ignored in favour of a debutant who hadn’t made matchday squads for a month, he was overlooked so that career midfielder Kenny McLean could fill in at centre-back late on.
With Gibson injured, Duffy suspended and Grant Hanley still on the comeback trail from an achilles injury sustained in April, another rejection in the Welsh capital would be the clearest sign of all that the 33-year-old isn’t rated by those in power.
He’s still got only two substitute appearances to his name this season and his contract up in seven months’ time, however, things aren’t looking good for the once-Championship winner.
Creatively at a loss
If City needed their lack of creativity highlighted, the failure to create more than one clear-cut chance in 40 minutes against a 10-man mid-table Championship side did the job.
As commendable as Gabriel Sara and substitute Przemyslaw Placheta’s efforts were, there was little more to the strategy than to get the ball out wide and pile numbers into the Blackburn box.
That did yield one significant chance when Sara found a consolation strike in the 92nd minute, but there were no real opportunities to speak of in time to get close to salvaging a draw. Not even the introduction of Borja Sainz, in the eyes of many he saviour of City’s season, made much difference.
Improving the shocking defensive record that’s left them vulnerable will be Wagner’s top priority, but there wasn’t much to comfort him at the other end of the pitch.
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