Paddy Davitt delivers his Sheffield United verdict after Norwich City’s spirited Championship draw.
- Turning the wheel
Norwich City’s starting line up had four of Johannes Hoff Thorup’s summer signings present after Ante Crnac was handed a rapid introduction to the Canaries following his move from Poland.
Fair to state, Jose Cordoba will become a fifth in short order, once Thorup decides those pre-season fitness-related issues are behind the Panamanian international. His first start should arrive next week in the League Cup at Crystal Palace.
When you consider Sheffield United’s visit was only the third Championship game of the season, to have effectively changed half your outfield roster so early in Thorup’s tenure underlines the clear sense the plates are shifting at a rapid rate.
Norwich were full value for a point against a club in the Premier League last season, with the spending power to match in this summer’s transfer window. On the cusp of the final quarter, Chris Wilder was able to turn to Crystal Palace loanee, Jes Rak-Sakyi, a player City were very keen on but not at the financial levels that tempted him to Yorkshire.
Josh Sargent’s excellently-worked first half goal was cancelled out by Oliver Arblaster. But there was a pleasing control of territory and possession from the hosts in the second half after an even opener. Although Michael Cooper was not worked in the Blades’ goal.
Stoppage time brought a frenetic minute or so, when Jack Stacey nearly gifted the visitors a chance on the counter, before Sargent played the ball agonisingly behind Borja Sainz at the other end and then Thorup himself was booked by the referee, with coaches from both sides getting caught up in the excitement.
Judging by the reaction from the home fans at the final whistle, they cannot get enough of this new, vibrant Norwich.
- Upping the ante
Flew into Norwich airport, Wednesday. Unveiled, Thursday. Full debut Saturday. Quite the few days for Crnac after a move from Poland for a fee believed to be £8.5m, plus add ons.
Stop and consider that outlay from Norwich for a 20-year-old who only moved from Croatia barely 12 months ago for a reported £1.1m.
Such market inflation alone tells you how Crnac’s career has soared in the intervening period. To the point Bundesliga officials from Werder Bremen were in the crowd last weekend for what turned out to be his farewell appearance in the Polish top flight. But Bowthorpe, not Bremen, was Crnac’s destination after City moved on swiftly from their aborted move for Bertog Yildirim as the replacement for Adam Idah.
The young man can do nothing about the price tag, but that scale of outlay brings with it inevitable expectancy, and extra pressure on his broad shoulders.
He will have learnt plenty from his first brush with the Championship. At times, it seemed like the intensity and physicality caught him out but there was one deflected shot from distance that spiralled towards Cooper and an instinctive first time pass for Sargent to test the visiting keeper.
There was a warm ovation as he departed late on for Onel Hernandez as he trooped wearily around the perimeter of the pitch. He will sleep well on Saturday night, as he reflects on a life-changing few days.
- Mister Marcelino
Not every transfer saga around Norwich City this summer has reached an inevitable conclusion. Take the case of Marcelino Nunez.
While he was still completing his previous campaign, as part of Chile’s Copa America efforts, Turkish side Trabzonspor were tracking the 24-year-old but got no further than some exploratory discussions – when it became clear the two clubs were well apart on their respective valuations of the technically-gifted midfielder.
Worth pointing out the Turkish window actually closes beyond this Friday’s domestic deadline night. We can all recall the chain of events that saw Milot Rashica depart for Besiktas this time last year.
But on the current Championship sample, Nunez looks a perfect fit for how Thorup wants his midfield to function in possession.
His range of passing, his comfort in taking the ball under pressure, his ability to glide across the park, and link back to front, were all on show against the Blades. That is before you get to the set piece quality he possesses, which was evident against Blackburn on numerous occasions.
Nunez’s quick, incisive pass for Amankwah Forson brought Norwich’s opener. There was another spot for Sargent to feed Sainz in a similar position, but the Spaniard was levered off the ball too easily.
Nunez’s weakness in those deeper lying areas is his defensive instincts. An Olly Skipp style midfielder would have sensed the danger quicker and sought to close down Arblaster, who drew the Blades’ level from the edge of the box.
He earned a booking five minutes into the second period for lunging mistimed tackle on Harrison Burrows. Thorup’s challenge is to arm his midfield unit with that steely nous out of possession.
The carelessness on the ball that marked his first couple of seasons in England has largely been eradicated. Albeit Kenny McLean had to take one for the team with a booking in the 74th minute, after the Chilean tried to dribble in his own defensive third. But in this set-up he could emerge as a key figure as the Dane strives to embed his fundamentals.
- Your move, Abu
If Abu Kamara’s lack of starts this season triggered his official written transfer request, then, respectfully, the winger is in the wrong line of business.
Thorup charted the road map to Kamara’s surprise decision earlier this week and revealed it was paved with plenty of dialogue with his head coach over missing out from the off against Oxford and Blackburn.
On one level, that is the type of mindset Thorup and sporting director, Ben Knapper, would seek to foster among their brightest and best youngsters. The self confidence to back themselves, and the disappointment when Thorup decided Kamara was not quite ready. Or perhaps more rounded attacking options were preferred for opening Championship skirmishes.
Kamara excelled in Portsmouth’s League One title winning campaign. That was the type of leap forward both player and parent club would have wanted from his successful south-coast posting.
But a Championship play-off contending team is a different level again. Kamara did little to push his claims in pre-season, in comparison to the manner a Gabe Forsyth caught the eye, but the bigger picture in play here is another City winger, and his advisors, have arrived at the conclusion Norwich is not the best place in the here and now.
Thorup wisely opted not to have the distraction of Kamara sat on his substitutes’ bench against Sheffield United. His camp have just under a week to engineer a move that, much like in the recent cases of Idah and Jon Rowe, leads to an end game that suits all parties.
There is interest from the Championship, but Kamara will have seen City’s tough negotiating stance over both Idah and Rowe. He will also know the clock is ticking.
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