Wolves (h) – The Review

Random Star Performer

You know how pigeons seem to be inescapable when they’re around? The way that, no matter which way you turn or how much you flap your arms in an ungainly fashion to shoo them away, they’re still there pestering you and picking up scraps? I bet that’s a bit what playing against Tom Trybull at his best is like. The unassuming German was back to his best yesterday, particularly in a first half where he seemed to win every challenge, every second ball, then threw an array of deft passes into the mix. Maybe someone should write a story where Tommy T is represented by an anthropomorphic pigeon?

Oh, what’s that?….his wife you say?….As you were then.

Moment of the match

Cantwell loves the city, he is a local lad

Started out in Dereham, he hasn’t done half bad

Went on loan to Holland, now he’s in the team

And now he’s started scoring goals in the famous yellow and green

Any opportunity to silence the, somehow still present, Cantwell naysayers is gladly accepted in these parts, so the moment when the youngster banged in his fifth goal of the season was highly enjoyable. That it came after a concerted spell of pressure when we were playing some truly wonderful football was all the better. It all seemed to be going to well didn’t it?

Farke Watch

I personally didn’t notice him much on the touchline yesterday, but I do think the substitutions were left too late. Obviously hindsight is a wonderful thing, but it seemed clear even prior to Wolves’ second goal that some of the players were tiring and the injection of Onel and Mario after, say, 70 minutes, when we were still very much level-pegging with a very good Wolves side, could have helped carry us over the line.

Weekend whinge

No VAR this week, thank god, so we’re back to the other reoccurring whinge of the season of not being able to defend set pieces very well. At all.

Atmosphere rating

Apart from the realisation that lots people in both home and aways ends wouldn’t have been born when the Muscat incident happened, something which brought with it the crushing portent of ageing that one apparently begins to experiences in ones 30s, I thought the atmosphere was good overall. A decent amount of noise in the first half and even when Wolves equalised the rendition of ‘On the ball, city’ was rousing in nature. I shared the ‘punch in the gut’ feeling that followed their winner, but even as six minutes of stoppage time was announced and Tim Krul came forward for that last chance set piece, the noise was still at a good level; although probably, like most things with Norwich this season, in hope rather than expectation.

Summary

Last week’s summary of the Leicester game referred to the confusing nature of this team and I’ll be honest, I’m no closer to figuring them out. For an hour on Saturday we played the best football that I’ve seen us play since last season and we should have been four-nil up at the break. Then in peak ‘Norwich gonna Norwich’ fashion we chuck it all away. It was Sheffield United v.2.0

There’s clearly enough evidence to suggest we can continue to pick up points over the course of the season, it’s just whether our frailties in closing out games and being more clinical in front of goal end up overshadowing the periods when we play the beautiful and incisive football.