We are now well into the 2017/18 Championship season, and while the likes of Leeds United, Cardiff City and Sheffield United are enjoying excellent starts, there is a growing feeling of concern at Carrow Road in regards to Norwich City’s start to the season.
Daniel Farke was appointed as the club’s new manager this summer but has seen his side win just two of their opening seven Championship games. They have lost three of these games and drawn two. This start is not good enough for a side that would have been hoping to make a push for the playoffs at the very minimum.
We take a look at three reasons why the Canaries have made a slow start to the season.
Daniel Farke will take time to adapt to Championship football
The 40-year-old was appointed this summer and was relatively unknown with his only previous experience coming in German football. He has previously managed SV Lippstadt 08 and Borussia Dortmund II and subsequently arrived with a lack of knowledge of the division. Norwich’s hierarchy would have been hoping that Farke could have a similar impact to the one that David Wagner had at Huddersfield Town by winning promotion to the Premier League but the early signs do not look too promising.
There is no doubt that all managers need a significant amount of time to implement their plans, but this is something that is becoming rare. Football is now a result driven business more than ever, shown by Frank de Boer’s dismissal at Crystal Palace after just four games. With the prize of winning promotion to the Premier League bigger than it has ever been before, Championship owners lose patience a lot easier and do not hesitate to pull the trigger. A huge number of managers lost their jobs in the division last season, and it would be no surprise to see the figure increase this year.
Slow style of play frustrating supporters
Some Norwich fans are already becoming frustrated with the slow style of the game that Farke appears to have implemented during his time at the club. This was evident in the Canaries’ 0-0 draw with strugglers Burton Albion on Tuesday night. This was a match that the home side were massive favourites to win but they were unable to breakdown a Burton defence that was well organised by manager Nigel Clough.
Norwich had 70% possession in this match but only managed two shots on target. Josh Murphy had their best chance of the game but could not find the back of the net as Clough’s side remained quite happy to frustrate the hosts. This is a concern for Norwich supporters as many teams towards the bottom of the league will be glad to take a point away from Carrow Road and if they can comfortably see out a goalless draw, then this is bad news for Farke’s side.
A huge overhaul – is the squad good enough?
There has been a massive overhaul in regards to playing staff since the club was relegated from the Premier League in the 2015/16 season and this means that any talk of promotion could be unrealistic. The Canaries finished eighth in the league last season and were arguably one of the biggest underachievers alongside Derby County, as both sides had a squad more than good enough to finish in the playoffs. However, this season is different as Norwich have allowed several key players to leave the club such as Jonny Howson and Jacob Murphy who joined Middlesbrough and Newcastle United respectively. These two players were a key part of Norwich’s side last season, and they are already showing signs that they miss their presence in the early stages of this campaign.
