Connor Southwell delivers his QPR verdict after Norwich City’s important 1-0 Carrow Road victory over QPR.
1 – Pressure easer
If Norwich’s win at Cardiff was epic, this was a victory that was lacking in spark but may prove to be just as vital.
Hwang Ui-jo’s goal in the first half, with the Canaries' only recorded shot on target in the contest, secured a much-needed victory. The first time they have recorded back to back wins since their purple patch of form in August.
But the performance left plenty to be desired. In possession, Norwich were stodgy. They were direct and struggled to progress the ball up the pitch. It looked a side lacking confidence for large parts of the contest.
It wasn’t the type of win that will silence the doubters and it displays they still have gears to find in the Championship’s next furlong – but it was desperately required to ease the pressure on City’s under-fire boss.
After the heroics in South Wales, against a side winless in 11 heading into this contest but looking much improved under the new management of Marti Cifuentes, it was imperative that Norwich emerged with a win come what May. In the final analysis, that is the crucial point.
The debate about the fashion of it will persist – but the importance of it should not be understated. Norwich, after a horrendous run of form, find themselves four points outside the top six with important players to return from injury in the coming weeks.
Maybe, just maybe, light is appearing at the end of the tunnel for Wagner and his side after a gruelling period.
2 – New beginnings
After two weeks of internal meetings and assessment, Ben Knapper took his seat in the Norwich City directors’ box fully aware of the scale of the task on his hands.
Parachuted in early amid poor form and growing speculation around the position of David Wagner, Knapper hoped his presence would help calm a ship that could have become shaky internally.
Every City fan is waiting with baited breath for him to fully unveil his grand vision for the club – with Carrow Road in desperate need of some inspiration. The desire of instant and sweeping changes were always unrealistic, Knapper wanted to gather further evidence before reaching a verdict.
Breathing life into a club that seems to be treading water is the challenge – even if the victory moved the Canaries within four points of the Championship’s top six. Whether anyone of a yellow and green persuasion is yet willing to believe in that fairy remains to be seen.
But a victory buys Knapper more time to continue his assessment of City’s boss, the squad and his new surroundings as he plots a return to success for the Canaries.
This wasn’t a performance that will read well in terms of data – QPR had more shots, shots on target and possession compared to City. They don’t leave with points, however. Knapper is committed to looking beyond the result – he will have learned plenty about Wagner’s approach and style of play here.
How that ranks compared to Knapper's desire for Norwich to be 'protagonist' and in control of matches remains to be seen.
For Norwich, this is a first clean sheet in eight matches – given the rate they’ve been conceding goals, that will read as the most pleasing statistic of the afternoon. It is too early to suggest they’ve turned a corner – but it will be most welcomed.
3 – Miles on the clock
David Wagner has placed a massive emphasis on experience during his time as Norwich’s head coach – Stuart Webber led their summer recruitment mission based on that sole attribute.
It has led to the Canaries fielding a starting XI with an average age of 29.8, the highest of any side in the Championship this season. Whether that is a sustainable direction of travel for a club that is so dependent on player trading as a major source of income remains to be seen.
There was the notable absence of an academy graduate in the starting XI, with Gabriel Sara the youngest starter at 24.
New sporting director Ben Knapper has already arrived at the destination of this side’s average age being too high. Norwich have 11 players on their books over the age of 30 – seven of those are contracted at the club beyond the end of this season. Webber inherited a playing squad with 14 in that bracket upon his arrival in March 2017.
Those facts alone will make any mission to reduce that average age will be challenging. Knapper will need to be ruthless in the upcoming windows, beginning in January, to readdress the balance. That task may be his most challenging.
Some will argue it is a sign of how far Norwich have deviated from their plan under the double act of Webber and Daniel Farke – when youth was at the forefront of the project. Wagner may well point to the bench, where the elder statesman were Marcelino Nunez and Sam McCallum (23).
City required all of that experience and more as the contest grew older – QPR were probing in possession but lacked incision and quality in the final third. Ashley Barnes’ game management welcomed, Jack Stacey’s energy a constant outlet and the central defensive duo strong against Lyndon Dykes.
Age is just a number – Norwich will need to keep proving the experienced avenue can be a successful one, even if Knapper holds a desire to alter it in the long run.
4 – Hwang-tastic
Few Norwich City players endured a more eventful international hiatus than on loan striker Hwang Ui-jo.
A goal for his country was overshadowed by scandal that continues to dominate headlines in his home country, with reports even suggesting there were talks with the police over his past conduct, pre-dating his arrival in Norfolk.
Throw in extensive hours of travel and you arrive at how gruelling a period it must have been for the 31-year-old. It came as no surprise to see Hwang keeled over after chasing a ball around the hour mark – it was a tireless performance that displayed why City identified him after their striking injury blow.
He’s been a much-maligned figure since completing a Deadline Day loan move from Nottingham Forest, but in recent weeks, Hwang has shown he can adapt to Wagner’s demands and add a goalscoring edge to his efforts.
That tireless approach saw him vacate space between Jimmy Dunne and Steve Cook to beat the offside trap before latching onto the ball and calmly slotting the ball past Asmir Begovic to give City the lead.
It was a burst of quality in a game that lacked a spark. The South Korean is beginning to show tentative signs of building a relationship with City’s midfield pairing.
With Ashley Barnes returning to the fold, Adam Idah hot on his heels and Josh Sargent on the comeback trail – Hwang needs no reminding of the competition behind him. Contributions similar to that seen at Carrow Road on this occasion will do his cause little harm.
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