Norwich City: 4 Things Learned from Fulham Draw

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There is no doubt that the dull 0-0 draw at Carrow Road on Saturday wasn’t a game to remember. It looked like a game between two sides that haven’t been in the best of form and are severely lacking in confidence.

Therefore, let’s have a closer look at what Norwich can learn from this particular game. As always, there were some positives and some negatives. The important thing is to maintain an element of perspective within the Premier League.

So, let’s get started…

Not a Disastrous Result

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I know a lot of people think that this game was in the must-win category. However, I don’t quite subscribe to that theory. But I do certainly think that it was an opportunity to win, so that opportunity was definitely missed.

However, it’s important to remember Fulham are a stable Premier League side and were never going to be easy to beat. Norwich are certainly on a poor run of form and fans are getting concerned, but teams below still have to close the gap.

As a general rule, the sides at the bottom of the table won’t be able to regularly get results to put serious pressure on Norwich. The real key thing here is not to get beaten by a team below them in the table.

Another Encouraging Show from Robert Snodgrass

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Robert Snodgrass was the best player on the pitch during the game. It’s just a shame that his generally good play couldn’t be converted into a Norwich win. The team has been struggling for goals lately, and the former Leeds United man may well prove to be the key to end that run.

Snodgrass is able to offer energy and directness at times, but also good delivery from set-piece situations, and carries that goal threat. Most fans would surely agree that it was a great piece of business to bring him in during the summer.

Were Grant Holt and Anthony Pilkington Missed?

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One thing that you can say about the game on Saturday is that Norwich were missing players. The big one was the absence of Grant Holt; Luciano Becchio struggled in the lone role on his own. The original plan was to play Holt and Becchio together, and that might have made a significant difference.

Anthony Pilkington was also missing from the game, and with Elliott Bennett having a lacklustre game, it’s easy to say that he was missed. However, no one can really say if Norwich would have performed better had he been there. It should also be noted that it was a squad game, and the Canaries should have been able to cope with the odd injury problem.

Another Clean Sheet

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I know there are those that thought the performance was a little on the passive side, and they would have liked to have seen greater attacking intent. However, it’s important to remember that a regular quota of clean sheets is also a sign of consistency.

The defence has been performing well lately, and it’s important to remember that only one goal has been conceded in the last three league games. Norwich just need to find a way to grab the odd goal here and there and things will be fine.

 

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