Norwich City: 5 Lessons Learned from Arsenal Defeat

Norwich City supporters will be disappointed with the result against Arsenal, but the Gunners are on a hot streak right now and it was always going to be a very difficult game.

There are, though, always things that can be worked on and it is often said that you learn more in defeat than in victory. It is to Norwich's credit that the game remained close, and on another day with a bit more luck the Canaries may have grabbed a point from the game. So enjoy the slideshow.

The Canaries Should Play Their Own Game

There is often a fine balance to be made in football between carrying a threat yourselves and nullifying the threat of the opposition. The argument is it would be very dangerous for Norwich to ignore the obvious threat that Arsenal carry. However, being at home it could be argued that it's Arsenal's job to work out how to keep Norwich quiet.

Paul Lambert decided to match up against Arsenal's 4-3-3 system by using the same system. This meant that there were three attacking players in Anthony Pilkington, Steve Morison and Wes Hoolahan and three defensive central midfield players in Bradley Johnson, David Fox and Andrew Crofts. It was certainly an understandable decision by Lambert. But I'm not convinced it worked.

Arsenal frequently broke quickly, when Norwich lost possession the Gunners were frequently bearing down on the Norwich goal within a matter of seconds. The Canaries weren't used to playing this system, but Arsenal were, this immediately put Norwich at a disadvantage.

The other problem is it didn't allow Norwich's best attacking players to be as effective as they should be. Surely Anthony Pilkington and Wes Hoolahan would have carried a bigger threat playing in their preferred position. Arsenal also had a central defender playing at right back, something that Paul Lambert may have looked to exploit.   

Every Second Counts

Over the course of the game Norwich defended pretty well, but the Premier League is brutal and one lapse of concentration can lead to a goal. On Saturday, the Canaries happened to be up against the Premier League's most lethal finisher. On the day he proved what a clinical striker he can be and even half a chance can be in the back of the net before you can react.

However, it was surprising how much time and space he was given time after time. For both the goals that he scored he appeared to be totally unmarked. The second Arsenal goal was particularly telling, yes Russell Martin lost possession in a crucial area, but it was incredible how slow Norwich were to react. At the very least it would have been nice to see someone close down van Persie and make it harder to do what he does best.

The Canaries must learn quickly that switching off for just a second and giving top quality players like van Persie time and space will nearly always lead to goals.    

Pass Better and Don't Give the Ball Away

One of the more disappointing elements of Norwich's game on Saturday was the failure to pass the ball and the number of times the ball was given away. This was a real shame, because Norwich haven't generally being doing this. But it's a big warning about what the better teams in this division can do.

It was also telling how quickly Arsenal broke when they were gifted the ball back. Norwich must ensure they keep the ball better in the coming games or they will find themselves constantly under pressure.  

Bradley Johnson Is Crucial for Norwich City's Defence

Norwich City must remember that defensive stability doesn't stop with the back line. Bradley Johnson, who plays as a holding midfield player, has an important part to play to protect the defence. He showed in the game against Arsenal that he is capable of cutting off supply and space to deny opportunities for the opposition. This will be an important role to play in order to improve the Canaries' defensive record. If Norwich can cut out individual errors they should concede less and less goals with the hope of Bradley Johnson. 

Don't Try and Be So Clever/Create More Chances

At times in the game against Arsenal, Norwich appeared to be over thinking the game. They seemed to feel that they needed to play the perfect ball to score. Football is a fairly simple game, and the best results are usually achieved by keeping things simple.

The Canaries managed to get behind the Arsenal defence on a number of occasions, but it rarely resulted in shots on goal. In the future it would be good to see Norwich putting balls into the box and putting the opposition's defence under pressure. This will probably also cure the other problem of creating chances.

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