Liverpool (h); The Review

Star performer

Grant Hanley might have had a few sleepless nights leading up to a clash against the champions elect, especially given his calamitous start to life back in the Premier League at Anfield. The City skipper looked woefully out of sorts on the opening day of campaign, so to exorcise a few demons with a majestic display was full vindication for Farke preferring him to the returning Godfrey.

The Scot seems to now be injury free, but more importantly has learnt how to play in this team. He’s not expansive or composed enough to bring the ball out from the back with regularity, so some self awareness of his limitations has helped. His aerial presence has helped eradicate some of the set piece troubles, and Norwich’s ability to break the press hasn’t been massively compromised. A full season of a fit Hanley and Godfrey might just have seen the Canaries staring at mid table.

Moment of the match

There’s something altogether endearing about the cries of ‘SHOOOOOOOOT’ every single time Alex Tettey receives the ball within 40 yards from the opposition goal. You know he shouldn’t, it rarely comes off, but when it does it’s spectacular.

Yet even I, a fully paid up member of the ‘No Tettey, no party’ fan club, winced a little when he was ironically encouraged to let fly from a ridiculous angle. Yet the Norwegian saw a chance, a sliver of hope with a fine strike smashing the foot of Allison Becker’s post which would have sent Carrow Road into raptures. It might even have provided the kickstart we so badly need to propel us into some kind of survival bid. Alas, it wasn’t to be, but Alex Tettey surprising everyone by going close is a constant source of joy, and one which we now get to witness for another 12 months. Keep on keeping on Tetts.

Farke watch

Buendia’s omission from the starting eleven surprised many, yet when you reflect on it, it’s not that shocking at all. Last time out City bested Newcastle for a full 90 minutes and only their profligacy in front of goal saw them travel home with a solitary point. There was much to like about the St James Park performance and Daniel Farke isn’t one to change things up when they’ve worked so well in the previous match.

The gaffer was probably vindicated, with the midfield interchanging effectively enough, and his side restricting Liverpool to half chances and speculative efforts for much of the game. The usual groans might resurface around the timing of his substitutions, but there’s obvious mitigation. Around 60-70 minutes, when many of the Captain Hindsighters would have made their changes, Norwich were enjoying their best period of the match. Then as the game started to enter its final throes and with the scores level, you could then easily make the argument that the subsequent substitutions should be reserved to run down the clock late on. Of course that’s not how it unfolded, but there was a fair amount of logic to preserving the status quo.

Biggest positive to take

Probably to the frustration of every rent-a-gob pundit currently stealing a living from the Talksport/Sky Sports/MOTD merry-go-round, Norwich retain their philosophy and their bravery. They haven’t changed and they won’t change, no matter how much a Ray Parlour or Martin Keown tell us we need to.

That might sound naïve to an outsider looking in, but it’s one of the primary reasons that the majority of the fanbase has stuck with these players through thick and (mainly this season) thin.

Weekend whinge

Not really a whinge, more of an observation, but for a team renowned for their vociferous away following the Liverpool fans weren’t half quiet. At least, right up until the Reds took the lead and their party could properly start. I can’t even recall an Allez, Allez, Allez throughout the 90 minutes, and as much as that chant should be consigned to the same one-hit-wonder bin as Los del Rio’s Macarena, it does reverberate around the terraces well.

Atmosphere rating

Lots to talk about here. For a team cut adrift at the foot of the division, the way in which the support was almost constant and grew organically as faint hope turned into a reserved belief was excellent.

The pre-match displays at either end of the ground were executed without a hitch, and a big thanks to the volunteers who helped unfurl the 20 metre long banner in the River End, celebrating Justin Fashanu’s iconic strike against Liverpool, roughly 40 years to the day.

So it was all lovely, right up until Sadio Mane so expertly broke the deadlock. Then it all got a bit predictable and unsavoury. ‘Sign on’, ‘You find a dead rat’, ‘Always the victim’, all lazy chants steeped in stereotypes that should have been left in the previous millennium. The Justin banner was there to promote acceptance and tolerance, then the knuckle draggers crawled out of their hole and reserved their full gusto for these particular songs, rather than backing the boys. Now I’m not telling you how to support your football team, but reserving your hate for a city and a people you’ve been constantly told by red top newspapers isn’t the best is just daft. Spoiler alert – the red tops lie to you, daily.

Liverpool is a wonderful place, with the most welcoming and vibrant of communities. We’d do well to remember that, rather than telling the visiting supporters that we shoot burglars like it’s all a big private joke.

Summary

Norwich City 2019/20 in microcosm, again. Some wonderful football, some technical brilliance and a retention of the team spirit that took us so far last term. There was a lot to like about Norwich going toe to toe with one of the best teams in world football.

But it was a case of so close, yet so far away. Again. That will be the story of our season, coming up short but acquitting ourselves well, week in, week out.