Daniel Farke has admitted it’s critical his Norwich side improve their defending or they’ll face a long relegation scrap this season. After a promising start, the struggling Canaries have collected just one point from the six matches they’ve played since beating champions Manchester City in September. That came in a goalless draw with Bournemouth as defeats to Burnley, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, Manchester United and Brighton have seen them slip into the bottom three.
During that wretched run of form, Norwich have shipped some 14 goals and scored only twice. Farke knows if those damning statistics do not improve quickly, then the team that won the Championship title last season on the back of a free-flowing game is only heading one way.
Clearly, improving their defensive record is key if they are to survive in the Premier League but Farke also wants Norwich to keep possession better and impose themselves on the opposition more in games physically.
He said in quotes published on the club’s official website: “You could see in the last few games, conceding a few too many goals, even attacking players have tried their hardest to get back and help defend. “The player’s have to concentrate really hard on passing, even the easy passes. We need to have more physicality, but it’s a fine balance between that and sticking to our game. It’s normal for young player’s to struggle with confidence, but a result would help.”
Norwich are second-bottom in the table ahead of this weekend’s games, a point behind Southampton directly above, but will hope to finally get another win on the board when they host the only side below them, Watford, on Friday night.
The Canaries have managed seven points from their first 11 games, compared to the Hornets’ total of just five from the same games played.
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