Norwich City will be Oxford United’s first opponents in Sky Bet Championship, as the U’s return to the second tier for the first time in more than 25 years.
We caught up with Connor Southwell from the Norwich Evening News to get the lowdown on the Canaries.
How did pre-season go for the Canaries?
Mixed. They are transitioning to a new style of play under Johannes Hoff Thorup, so there have been some good bits and some bits that have caused real concern.
Results wise, they have won one of six pre-season matches, which came against Northampton Town in their first game, but they’ve deliberately faced a high calibre of sides in an attempt to test themselves.
Thorup inherited the pre-season that was designed by his predecessor David Wagner, and injury concerns have limited involvement for Jose Cordoba and other defensive options, meaning he hasn’t really had an opportunity to look at a settled side or backline.
Throw in a slow couple of months on the transfer front and not as much work done as some would like, and you begin to understand why moods are not as high as they were once among fans when Thorup was appointed.
All of that means it has been a turbulent pre-season campaign. It’s hard to feel Norwich head into this weekend in a strong position. But we all know that successful preparations don’t always equate to positive starts.
There is a feeling that this will take time.
How big a blow is losing Gabriel Sara, after he joined Galatasaray?
Massive. He was one of the best players in the Championship last season. Removing any player of his quality would have a detrimental impact to any side at this level.
But it would have been a travesty for a player of his ability to continue to play Championship football. He has surpassed the level. Norwich needed a major sale and his departure, and the fee received, should now allow them to press ahead with some recruitment of their own.
Sara has conducted himself brilliantly throughout pre-season and even played in a game against Hoffenheim in Austria last week despite the deal being pretty advanced at that stage. He was popular and well-liked in the dressing room.
As it stands, and this is likely to be the case on Saturday, they haven’t replaced him. That means Norwich are inevitably weaker as they head to the Kassam Stadium for the big kick-off.
What are the other most significant bits of activity during the window?
Not much, to be honest. Norwich have signed three players in Cordoba, a Panamanian international from Levski Sofia in Bulgaria, Ben Chrisene on a permanent from Aston Villa and Callum Doyle on a season-long loan from Manchester City.
It’s been a window of left-footed, progressive defenders so far. That was necessary after Ben Gibson and both left backs Dimi Giannoulis and Sam McCallum departed upon the expiration of their contracts in the summer.
Doyle is one they’ve pursed for a prolonged period throughout the summer, but Man City took him to the States due to the amount of players away on holiday after their involvement in the Euros.
It remains to be seen whether Doyle will be thrown straight in, it might be necessary given there are fitness concerns over Cordoba heading into this weekend.
Many supporters wanted a squad overhaul. That hasn’t happened yet, but Norwich aren’t done.
What’s the playing style likely to be under Thorup?
It’s quite similar to what Enzo Maresca implemented at Leicester last season. It’s a possession-based style that lines up in a 4-3-3 and is geared towards technical proficiency.
He’s tried some funky stuff in pre-season, but it’s likely Norwich will tuck their left back in during in-possession phases to allow Jack Stacey, the right back, to push on. The winger on that side will tuck in to make an asymmetrical shape.
Thorup wants Norwich to play with intensity and structure, but that takes time and defensive errors have been a consistent theme of pre-season so far.
In that regard, this may not a bad time to play Norwich as they continue to adjust to Thorup’s desired style of play.
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