Norwich City vs. Man U
Venue: Carrow Road
Kick off: 5:30PM
Norwich City welcome Manchester United to Carrow Road in the Premier League this afternoon knowing that they can cause an upset against the Red Devils.
The Canaries will head into the game feeling that they have nothing to lose against an Ole Gunnar Solskjaer side that is seriously struggling to create chances.
Daniel Farke’s side only need to look at how they overcame Manchester City for when it comes preparing themselves for this meeting with the Red Devils.
That 3-2 win over Pep Guardiola’s side was essentially hallmarked by the dual principles of staying incredibly tight as a defensive unit and, when the time was right, springing the trap on their opponents whenever the ball was lost high up the pitch.
Against a team that is likely to dominate the ball, Norwich will know that patient defending ultimately leads to gaps developing in behind – a blueprint laid down perfectly by Newcastle United earlier this month.
While United have spent this week preparing for a trip to Serbia in the Europa League, Norwich have been able to enjoy a full week on the training ground to fine tune their counter-attacking game plan.
However, despite their heroics against the Premier League champions, Norwich have largely failed to demonstrate a capacity to snatch results against teams around them, with the East Anglia side currently in 19th position after managing just two wins since August.
A 5-1 defeat to Aston Villa in their last home game, along with defeats at Burnley and Crystal Palace, illustrates how Farke’s ambitious style, which revolves strongly around quickly playing out from the back, can often leave Norwich in perilous defensive positions at various points during games.
For a team battling relegation, adopting such an expansive style can be risky and lead to doubts among figures in the dressing room – something which may well become the case as the season goes on.
However, the prospect of facing United, a team that struggles when they have to dictate proceedings, gives Norwich a superb chance to rekindle the spirit that underpinned their performance against the Premier League champions last month.
United finally won an away game at the 12th time of asking against Partizan on Thursday night, with Anthony Martial marking a return to action by scoring from the spot.
Incredibly, that was the first away win since Solskjaer was appointed permanent manager in March and just the club’s fourth win inside 90 minutes since April.
These facts serve to contextualise what was, despite the positive result, another performance devoid of perceptible strategy or conviction in Belgrade, with United not managing one shot on target from open play.
While United’s defence has improved in the wake of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire joining the club – they have five clean sheets this season – their potency going forward is virtually non-existent.
Specifically, the Red Devils look deeply lost whenever presented with an opponent that decides to park men behind the ball and minimise space – a move employed by virtually every opponent and one that strips Solskjaer’s players of their natural predilection for hitting teams at pace.
In their last 19 games in all competitions, United have managed to score more than one goal in a game on just one occasion – a 4-0 win over Chelsea on the opening day of the season, which now seems like a truly random anomaly.
This problem is something that Solskjaer must address if he is to encounter long-term success at Old Trafford, and especially if United are to claim three points this afternoon against a side which will have no problems with keeping tight and waiting for their moment to break.
Perhaps the Norwegian’s recent decision to make a switch to three at the back, with Martial and Marcus Rashford attacking down the middle, could stimulate a change of attacking fortunes against Norwich today.
Norwich City possible XI: Krul, Aarons, Amadou, Srbeny, Lewis, Tettey, Leitner, McLean, Buendia, Cantwell, Pukki.
Man U possible XI: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Rojo, Maguire, Lindelof, Young, McTominay, Fred, Pereira, Martial, Rashford.