Why Norwich City mustn't blunten Borja Sainz's edge

Instead, that award was handed to the writers of Anatomy of a Fall, but whoever is writing Sainz's scripts at Norwich City deserves recognition. 

Like a Craig David song, Sainz was sent off on Wednesday, chastised on Thursday, rescinded on Friday and scored a stunning goal on Saturday. 

The Spaniard would have been forlorn on the plane home from Teesside and then elated on the training pitch come Friday morning. As were City and head coach David Wagner. 

Debates around the red card and Jonny Howson's role in that saga are still being going on. The official social media accounts of both clubs are now lightheartedly exchanging blows. Some City fans would have expected their former midfielder to be nominated for an Oscar for his performance on the night. 

Whether you did or didn't think the City winger should have gone, the one thing that everyone can agree on is that Sainz plays on the edge.

That means he does get himself embroiled in situations that end controversially - a quick flick back to West Brom away on Boxing Day and the petulance on display is a prime example of falling the wrong side of that edge. 

But the flip side is magical. It is the top corner strikes at Anfield. The clever touches to get Norwich up the pitch. The technical proficiency that can help to decide matches. 

Sainz is dynamite. You just never quite know if it will explode in Norwich's own face or win matches.

But it is that edge that makes him so brilliant to watch and to produce the magic moments that have been witnessed in recent weeks and months. That is why talk of managing or curbing it should be dismissed, even if that means a few silly red cards as a result. 

Natural comparisons to Emi Buendia have already started among City supporters, and while they are different types of players, that is because of the edge they played on. 

Buendia's brilliance came from the feisty nature of his game. It was that desire to win and to be the difference-maker that made him try things few others would have done. During his time at City, the Argentine picked up four red cards. 

Daniel Farke managed him well. His team-mates factored in his regular strops during matches because he could win them. Often, he did so single-handedly. 

Emi Buendia was prone to a red card during his time at Norwich City. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

Whilst Sainz isn't quite on that quality level, it is a similar situation here. Those moments of petulance and edge have to be accepted because they help create the brilliant ones. When the margins are so tight, his individual capability can decide Championship matches. 

The irony here is that Sainz did nothing wrong in that Howson tangle. The FA accepted that by rescinding his four-game suspension, finding him 'not guilty'. He would likely argue that he has managed to control that aspect of his game well. 

That understanding and education of officials and their approaches will become better understood the more he plays in England. This is his first season, and the mannerisms of the referees are vastly different in Spain and Turkey. 

He has had as many red cards this season for Norwich as he has in his entire career - he received two yellows for Giresunspor in a game against Antalyaspor on the final day of last season, but before that, Sainz was last dismissed in 2019 whilst playing for Alaves B. 

Sainz did pick up nine yellows in Turkey last season. That edge is very much visible in his play. Norwich signed him because of his willingness to press and his energy, which would suit Wagner's preferred system. 

Norwich have had to be patient with Sainz. His injury sustained in only the second day of pre-season training was a major blow to plans to adapt him ahead of the start of the Championship campaign. 

Wagner has taken flak for not unleashing him sooner. It's hard to argue, having watched his performances in recent weeks, that patience was justified. 

Borja Sainz is a man for magical moments - as he has proven in his first season at Norwich City. (Image: Dan Hanbury/Focus Images Ltd)

His next mission is to discover a consistency in his game that allows him to remain present in matches as they develop. Sainz has drifted in and out of them a bit too much on occasion - that is expected, given this is his first season in England. 

With Jon Rowe and Onel Hernandez sidelined, Norwich will need Sainz to step up more than ever. 

That means from a chance creation perspective as well. He has only one assist and an expected assists rate of 1.37, lower than Hernandez, Jack Stacey, Dimitris Giannoulis and even Przemek Placheta, who departed in January. Those are numbers he will be desperate to improve. 

His goal-scoring threat is not to be disputed. That is why Norwich have to unleash him rather than talk about reining him in. 

Sainz has the potential to ignite - that moment may come next season after a full pre-season and further adaptation.

He is someone to be excited by, even if he will get sent off on occasion. That is a trade-off worth making.