Norwich City: 6 Things About Fulham Defeat

Norwich City will be disappointed to have come away from Craven Cottage without any points. However, the team did put up a decent performance in the second half and would have secured at least a point without the poor performance in the first half.

The Canaries will look to start the next game like they finished this one. Before that, though, what went wrong in London needs to be analysed. In order to review the game, I have put together this slideshow. 

Aaron Wilbraham Is Now a Better Option Than Steve Morison

It was a familiar story on Saturday afternoon with another poor performance from Steve Morison. The striker was later substituted for Aaron Wilbraham. Wilbraham showed more from the short period he was on the pitch by scoring and with some good direct play.

Grant Holt will be available again for the next match. But Steve Morison does not look like he can impact a game either by starting or from the bench.  

Early Signs on Ryan Bennett Were Good

This was perhaps not the best game to judge a defender. It was a poor first half, and the defense looked all over the place. However, in the second half, there was a much-improved defensive performance.

Ryan Bennett was able to show his class at times throughout the match, the highlight being a superb goal-saving block. However, he made a number of other great tackles. The signs are very good that he will develop into a top-class centre back.

Wes Hoolahan Was Norwich's Best Attacking Player

It is beginning to look like Jonny Howson is a replacement for Wes Hoolahan. However, Hoolahan showed on Saturday maybe that suggestion is premature. In my opinion, Hoolahan clearly performed better than Howson on the day.

However, it is unlikely that Hoolahan and Howson will start many games in the same Norwich City side. Therefore, Lambert will have to decide which player is to be first choice. 

Did Lambert Get the Tactics Wrong?

There is no doubt that Lambert has been changing things around a lot lately. On Saturday against Fulham, that trend continued. The 3-5-2/5-4-1 formation does not seem to suit the players that Norwich City has, so it seems strange that Lambert is using it.

Grant Holt's Absence Was Not Much of a Factor

A lot may be made of Grant Holt missing the game against Fulham. However, it did not make a big difference to impact the result. Norwich City were poor in the first half, and I don't believe that would have changed had Holt been on the pitch.

Elliott Bennett Should Have Started Against Fulham

Elliott Bennett had a fine game against Wolves, and with Anthony Pilkington unavailable for Fulham, I would have expected him to start the game. Bennett had an impact late on in the game, and this further showed what could have happened had he started the game.  

Follow James on Facebook and Twitter.