Huddersfield Town 0-1 Norwich City: Paddy Davitt Pointers after winning the championship | UN Pink

Opinion

PUBLISHED: 17:23 September 12, 2020 | UPDATED: 5:47 PM September 12, 2020

Group Soccer Editor Paddy davitt pronounces his verdict on Huddersfield after the victory of the Canary Islands 1-0 in the Championship.

1. It’s not pretty. Pretty effective

This was not the smooth, polished Norwich that we might see in the Championship season. But it was the battle-hardened street variety. And for an opening weekend assignment with so many questions to answer, it was reassuringly effective. Huddersfield was committed and willing to claim an early scalp to impress new boss Carlos Corberan.

The Spaniard was practically a twelfth man, constantly cajoling and encouraging his players to push in the way he clearly absorbed working with Marcelo Bielsa in Leeds.

Norwich looked rusty for long periods. That process of meeting you is still underway. They were only a fraction, both in thought and deed.

But when it mattered, they showed a ruthless advantage. Teemu Pukki took advantage of a poor backward pass attempt by Richard Stearman and then calmly drew in the goalie before selflessly rolling in Adam Idah to crush home a priceless winner.

Even so early in the proceedings to walk away with a clean sheet win, to finally turn the page on that unwanted streak of back-to-back losses in the league, he felt great.

2. VAR returns. All is forgiven

Not really. Not after all that heartache and heartache for Norwich City during their Premier League struggles.

But the video assistant referee system may have confirmed that Ben Godfrey’s first-half header clearly hit Juninho Bacuna’s outstretched arm inside Huddersfield’s penalty area from Xavi Quintilla’s corner.

Bacuna had turned his back on him but his arm was well away from his body.

Norwich players in the immediate vicinity were convinced it should have been a penalty. Even Daniel Farke addressed the appeals to the fourth official.

There was another big scream in the second period when Max Aarons got hit by Josh Koroma.

Referee Eltringham thought otherwise both times. Although Farke’s revealing admission after the game, the referee had apologized to him for both mistakes, was little consolation. It would be the irony of ironies for the City to fall on the wrong side of too many such incidents in the months to come. Not that they should depend on the bureaucracy. Farke has the equipment not to depend on outside assistance.

3. Solid jump

Norwich discovered, if you didn’t already know, that in the Championship you will never get things your way.

Tim Krul may have been largely redundant aside from a few pressure relief sacks towards the end, but Huddersfield was aggressive and determined to go head-to-head.

In scenarios like these, Oliver Skipp already wears an inspired signing on loan from Tottenham. Skipp has the poise that I would associate with anyone who has been through the Spurs academy.

But he also has a tiger streak, the willingness to jump on tackles and the composure to get out of tough situations.

Norwich fans will heat up with such a trigger in a key area of ​​the wing. The pairing with Kenny McLean offers real promise. But there are also Alex Tettey and Jacob Sorensen to participate in this competitive mix.

However, Skipp already seems like a staple.

4. Bench press

When Norwich can afford the relative luxury of three summer transfers on the bench and two of them come from the Premier League, it speaks volumes about the relative depth of resources at Farke’s disposal.

That’s before he adds suspended Emi Buendia to the mix, plus players like Marco Stiepermann and Mario Vrancic who couldn’t make it to Matchday 18. Farke stacked his replacements with attacking threats on Jordan Hugill, Idah and Przemyslaw Placheta.

Placheta and Idah showed up for the final stages. And it was the international of the Republic of Ireland who took the three points.

This is a long way to go, but having the ability to keep opponents off balance, and having Farke look behind him at the head of his technical area and know that he has genuine options to tilt championship games in Norwich’s favor. , offers a relaxing degree of tranquility. .

5. Next mission Carrow Road

Sadly, no fans will be in attendance again next weekend when Alex Neil’s brings his Preston to Norfolk for the seasonal comeback at home. But after that losing streak in Project Restart, City must build on three points in West Yorkshire.

To get where they want to go in this campaign, Carrow Road will have to return to a place where rivals fear to tread.

We all hope desperately that fans can come back this season. Those tentative plans for up to 8,000 to be part of a test event are now on hold again after new government announcements this week in response to the rate of transmission of the virus heading in the wrong direction across the country.

For now, Norwich players and staff must do it themselves. Opponents can certainly appreciate not having to deal with the raucous Carrow Road at full speed.

But there is enough quality and intelligence at Farke’s disposal to put that on the simple side. After a victory at Huddersfield with another against Neil’s side, there will be real momentum.