Norwich City: Rating the Canaries Starting 11 Against Chelsea

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It’s never easy to lose two games on the bounce in the Premier League, but this game was always going to be very tough for Norwich City. Therefore, a slender 1-0 defeat to Chelsea might have been the best the club could have realistically hoped for.

Nevertheless, it’s never nice to lose a game at this level and does often lead to nervous looks down the table. However, not too much damage was done, and the Canaries remain 10 points above the relegation zone.

So, let’s rate their players in my latest slideshow.

Mark Bunn (6)

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I thought the Norwich goalkeeper gave a solid performance, but he will certainly have busier afternoons. Chelsea will be disappointed that they didn’t put him under more pressure, but he did what he had to very well. 

I have been critical of the player in the past, but there are certainly signs that he is improving and may give John Ruddy a challenge in the future.

Javier Garrido (7)

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The left-sided defender had a decent enough game; he performed both his defensive and attacking roles very well—but he didn’t do enough to really make a difference.

I thought he got into some promising attacking positions but his final ball was not good enough to open up Chelsea.

Sebastien Bassong (8)

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In another very strong performance, the Cameroon defender won some great headers in defence and carried his usual attacking threat from set pieces.

He probably had Norwich’s best chance of the entire match at the death when it looked like he would rescue a point for the Canaries.

Michael Turner (8)

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Turner had a dodgy start to his Norwich City career, but he has now proved to have formed a really solid unit with Bassong. This was another real top performance from him, and he was able to keep Chelsea’s top attacking players really quiet.

Russell Martin (7)

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Russell Martin came back in for the injured Steven Whittaker and proved to do a decent job it what was an impressive defensive performance from the Canaries. Norwich were up against some real top players from Chelsea, and Russell Martin played his part in keeping them quiet.

Anthony Pilkington (6)

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This wasn’t Anthony Pilkington’s best performance in a Norwich shirt, but neither was it his worst. Overall, I thought he got into some very good positions, but his final shot or delivery was poor. In fact, Norwich provided very poor service to the strikers throughout the match.

Alex Tettey (6)

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Alex Tettey has certainly put on better performances in a Norwich shirt, but this wasn’t a disgraceful performance by him by any means. A long-range shot that he had that went well wide of the goal summed up his afternoon because he is usually so accurate from that distance.

Bradley Johnson (7)

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This was a useful performance by Johnson, and he certainly provided plenty of bite in the midfield and played his part in closing down Chelsea’s best players. On another day, he may have grabbed himself a goal.

But in the end, he was harshly booked for perceived simulation, despite the fact that several Chelsea players seemed to be guilty of the same without being punished.

Robert Snodgrass (6)

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Probably the quietest I have seen from Snodgrass for a fair few games. But maybe we should give Chelsea a fair amount of credit for that. I think it’s fair to say that his service and delivery wasn’t what we have learned to expect from the winger. Although, it’s hard to continue to perform to very high standards in every game. 

Wes Hoolahan (7)

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I think he had a poor first half, but began to come into his own in the second half. It was an improved performance in the second half, and most of what Norwich did well going forward came from the Irishman.

Hoolahan is continuing to prove that he can cause even the best Premier League teams problems.

Grant Holt (7)

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This was another hard-working performance from Norwich’s lone striker, but he didn’t get the service or chances that he would have liked. He did have one significant chance that he wasn’t able to convert, but it’s very tough for a striker that is expected to score if he only gets one chance a game.

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