Match Day Thread Swansea vs Norwich, Fri Feb 5th @ 20.15 p.m.

So, our third match in six days looms large this Friday.
But will it be our third 0 - 0 in that period?
The Swansea squad includes three ex-Canaries, Ryan Bennett, Kyle Naughton and Korey Smith.
Doubtless we'll reacquaint ourselves with some of them.
The head to head is extremely close, so no pointers there.
NCFC Games won:23 Games drawn:10 Games lost:24

Team news to follow - time to 'rest' (a.k.a. drop) Cantwell and Vrancic, perhaps?
Get well soon Marco Stiepermann.

Highlights of a trip to the Liberty Stadium on Saturday 24th November 2018.
(Delicious irony at the end of this clip when Chris Goreham says "For the third match in a row Norwich have scored 4 in the championship" )

 

Cromer, when you likened yourself to Boycott and I made the joke about seven 0-0 scorelines in a row, I didn't mean it literally.

But at the moment I'd take another 0-0 to be honest.

A win would be fantastic, putting us 8 points clear of them with Swansea having one game in hand. But the way we've played the last three games, and without Buendia, it's hard to see.

Hope you still have matchday duty on Saturday morning.

 

Buendia played against Middlesbrough and was poor. Although a very important player for us, we have plenty of other good players who have not played well in the last 3 games Cantwell, Vrancic & Rupp in particular. Vrancic has shown exactly why many think his role is as an impact sub rather than a starter. We have also missed McLean who plays an important role for us.

 

Please remind me. Who was that in the 10 shirt? He looked good.

 

I thought Rupp was excellent last night.

 

That was Matt Smith

 

I think the weak link is at number 10. Cantwell being marked out the game is frustrating for him, but good for the team as it should guarantee space elsewhere - especially across our front three. Vrancic could have won both the last two games, but his shooting has gone slightly awry and his decision making has been poor. I think he looks tired, because we know he can do it. Frankly, Dowell isn’t working for me. We desperately need Stiepermann back in for me - it will significantly change our shape on the pitch and he would make most use of more space due to Cantwell being man-marked.

 

Swansea's form is the same as ours - 3 wins and 2 draws. I agree that it's likely to be a low scoring game. A draw would retain our 5 point lead over them, though they have a game in hand now. Brentford have two games in hand but are 7 points behind. Fatigue could be a factor for us, but games in hand mean that they'll be playing more in future.

 

Me too but, in the absence of any solid information to the contrary, I suspect there's little chance of him playing for quite a while yet. The virus he has can be very debilitating even for the fittest; you don't throw it off quickly.

 

Yes, I get that.

Interestingly, I thought Placheta played quite well (not necessarily with the end product, but he got himself into good positions and worked hard).

I wonder whether a potential solution might be to move Pukki into a number 10 role (pretty sure he has done it before and he’s good enough on the ball), with Placheta up front. That will make the centre backs more nervous given his pace and should free up space in the middle.

The one positive I think from playing Swansea is they, if anyone, are less likely to be focused on nullifying our game (ie marking Cantwell).

 

No criticism of Giannoulis, given how little time he has had to adjust to how we play and the different league, but I would prefer to see Sørensen at LB on Friday. He's had a bit of a rest, and he understands better what our offensive players need from him.

 

Idah, rather than Placheta in that scenario?

 

I don’t think Idah is quite as scary quick, so doesn’t have the same impact. And Idah doesn’t move quite as well (though, from what little I have seen, his finishing is better).

But to be honest I think we might just need a radical change.

Equally, I would understand if Farke took a look at a team that hasn’t conceded in the league for several matches and says “if it ain’t broke”. Lots of us have wanted more solidity, and a weaker offence is often the price (at least at first).

 

I'd be inclined to play McLean behind Pukki against Swansea and keep Rupp in midfield as he and Skipp formed a good partnership. Skipp was clearly MotM last night with a 8.0 rating on WhoScored.

 

Placheta was our highest scoring attacking player with a rating of 7.1 on WhoScored, so I'd stick with him and bring on Idah later if need be. Placheta is improving with each game and his pace is a real weapon, allowing him to get behind the defence. We need that against packed defences.

 

If anything, I would be inclined to push Rupp forward and have McClean deep personally, because of McClean’s passing range. Rupp is better with the ball close to his feet and makes good bursts forward around the opposition penalty area.

Neither perfect, but it would be a changed formation.

 

Pace in itself is not a weapon, nor is "getting behind the defence" -- there has to be a goal, or an assist, or at least a key pass at the end of it. Neither Placheta, nor Hernandez, nor for that matter Aarons, use their pace to particularly good effect. Opposition coaches looking at them are likely to conclude that they'd rather the ball was at the feet of any of those three than with the ball players inside them. Which is a pity because, with teams blocking out the central space with numbers, we need productive penetration down the sides.

 

I disagree, insofar as the fear of pace and a player being able to get behind the defence can be enough to lead defences to sit deeper and leave space centrally.

 

Game live on Sky, but not on ifollow.
Should be good stream on mygoaltv

 

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Why would opposition defences sit deeper if the cost/benefit analysis of maintaining a high line versus dropping back favours the former over the latter? If Placheta or Hernandez were better finishers than they currently are, or regularly created better quality chances than they currently do, it would be a different matter. Pace doesn't of itself score goals or create chances; you only need fear it if there's a decent probability of it leading to something.