Well-coached positional rotations and promising patterns. Ben Lee breaks down Norwich City's impressive 3-2 Championship win at Derby.
Ben is a City season ticket holder and author of the NCFC Analysis social media account, who unpicks games with an analytical report highlighting tactical strengths and weaknesses.
This is what Ben made of another step forward at Pride Park.
Derby versus Norwich: Settled-play patterns
Score: 2 – 3
Possession (%): 41 – 59
Passes: 335 – 503
Shots: 16 – 10
xG: 1.42 – 1.96
- Inverting full-back variations.
- Opening passing lanes.
- Positional rotations.
- Blind-side movements.
Base formations
Following Norwich’s impressive win against Watford, Johannes Hoff Thorup’s side made the trip to Derby to face a side who were yet to concede at home this season.
Thorup named an unchanged eleven as Norwich set up in their usual 4-3-3 base formation. Paul Warne made one change to his side following a 1-0 defeat against Sheffield United, as Forsyth replaced Elder in the host’s 4-3-3 setup.
During Norwich goal-kicks, where they typically play out with three deep-lying midfielders, Doyle’s (6) left-back role became more fluid, with the loanee frequently shifting infield early in City’s deep build-up phases.
As Doyle (6) inverted into a new midfield trio, Schwartau (29) became free to advance in the left half-space, while Sainz (7) initially remained out wide.
In response, Derby pressed with man orientation from a 4-2-3-1 shape, as Adams (32) advanced between the wingers to occupy McLean (23), leaving the remaining midfielders to track Schwartau (29) and Nunez (26), with Osborn (8) often advancing to stay tight to the latter.
Derby’s press created a ‘man-to-man plus-one’ situation behind Yates (10) up front. Mendez-Laing (11) and Jackson (19) were ready to press the full-backs, while Forsyth (3) and Nyambe (24) backed up the press on City’s wingers, leaving Sargent (9) in a 2v1 at the back.
While every Norwich player was occupied outside of the penalty area, City had a 3v1 advantage in the first line. This made it relatively easy for the visitors to play out in the first phase, but finding a free man ahead of the ball was more difficult.
However, Norwich were able to open passing lanes thanks to Doyle’s (6) early inversion from the left. With the left-back dragging Jackson (19) infield, a passing lane opened between Cordoba (33) and the wide area.
On occasion, Sainz (7) would drop towards the ball to receive directly from City’s Panamanian centre-back. As Nyambe (2) advanced to remain tight to the Spaniard, Schwartau (29) or Doyle (6) were ready to run into the space behind.
Alternatively, Sainz (7) occasionally inverted from the left into the half-space. In order to force the full-back wide, Schwartau (29) would then move out towards the touchline.
This created a gap between Jackson (19) and Nyambe (24), through which Cordoba (33) found Sainz (7). Opening this passing lane enabled City to break two lines of pressure with one pass.
Given their 3v1 first-phase overload, Norwich were often able to advance into more settled build-up phases, where Fisher (35) also inverted from right-back.
With both full-backs inverting on either side of McLean (23), and the remaining midfielders advancing, Norwich created a 2-3-2-3 structure against Derby’s 4-2-3-1 mid-press.
With Derby continuing to occupy every Norwich player ahead of the ball, the challenge for the visitors became about finding a free man and space to progress with control.
Further positional rotations saw Nunez (26) drop to receive from Duffy (4). With Osborn (8) remaining tight to the Chilean, and Menedez-Laing (11) also shifting over to press, Nunez (26) returned the ball to City’s centre-back, who was now being pressed by Yates (10).
Having moved wide to press Nunez (26), Mendez-Laing (11) left Fisher (35) free to receive, before City’s inverted right-back bounced the ball back to Cordoba (33) in space.
Doyle (6) then moved over to the left to receive out wide, while Schwartau (29) moved into space on Goudmijn’s (17) blind side.
As Schwartau (29) received and returned the ball to Doyle (6), Derby shifted over to the ball side before Norwich’s left-back hit a long diagonal to Crnac (17) in a 1v1 on the far side. The Croatian was then able to advance into the penalty area and deliver a cross from the right.
This was just one example of City’s fluid positional rotations manipulating a well-organised, man-orientated press, allowing the visitors to advance despite beginning the move without a free man ahead of the ball.
On another occasion, Sainz (7) dropped on the left, Schwartau (29) moved out wide, and Doyle (6) advanced into the space between the lines on Jackson’s (19) blind side.
With Cordoba (33) in possession, the Panamanian centre-back waited for Jackson (19) to press. When he did, the former Ipswich winger left Doyle (6) free to receive in space between the lines before moving the ball back out to Crnac (17) in another 1v1 in the final third.
Moving into Derby’s half, Norwich created their usual 2-3-5 setup as the hosts transitioned between their 4-2-3-1 mid-press and a 4-5-1 mid-block. With Derby in their mid-press, Norwich continued to bait and manipulate pressure to create free players ahead of the ball.
As Duffy (4) advanced towards the halfway line, for example, Mendez-Laing (11) jumped to press, leaving Fisher (35) free to receive via a bounce pass from Sargent (9) after Nunez (26) dragged Osborn (8) wide to open a central passing lane.
There were numerous examples of well-executed build-up patterns such as this, although not all of them ended with a smooth progression into the final third.
In another instance, for example, a pass from Cordoba (33) to Duffy (4) was a trigger for Yates (10) to press from the front, before City’s centre-back found McLean (23) who bounced the ball back to Cordoba (33) in space on the left.
In response, Adams (32) jumped from McLean (23) to press high, but Cordoba (33) returned the ball to Norwich’s captain via a bounce pass from Fisher (35).
However, having successfully manipulated the first lines of Derby’s mid-press to access a free man, McLean (23) played back to Duffy (4) instead of completing the pattern by playing into the attacking five in Derby’s half.
Thorup’s men also attempted to create overloads on the left with Doyle (6) advancing out wide, allowing Sainz (7) to invert alongside Schwartau (29) in the left half-space.
On one occasion, Norwich accessed this overload after Fisher’s (35) inverted role caught Mendez-Laing (11) off guard, with City’s right-back totally free to receive. As Fisher (35) advanced, Sainz (7) inverted, and Doyle (6) overlapped out wide.
In Derby’s deepest build-up phases, Goudmijn (17) became a single pivot, while Norwich pressed from their usual 4-3-3 with the wingers pressing from the front and Sargent (9) staying deeper to occupy the pivot.
Derby often began the build-up by playing straight to the full-backs or directly into the last line. But when the hosts played out to one side, Norwich’s ball-side winger pressed the centre-back, while the nearest midfielder jumped onto the full-back out wide.
In settled possession, Derby’s 4-3-3 often became more of a 4-1-5 when Adams (32) and Osborn (8) advanced. In these phases, Norwich transitioned between a 4-5-1 mid-block and a more proactive 4-2-3-1 mid-press when Schwartau (29) shifted infield to occupy Goudmijn (17).
In what was yet another entertaining contest, some well-coached positional rotations and promising patterns were perhaps the most notable tactical strengths in possession on Saturday. But Leeds represents a new test of Thorup’s side both with and without the ball.
You can read all Ben's previous analysis of Norwich City games via his social media accounts.
Web: NCFC Analysis
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