In the exact instant that Divock Origi sauntered into the penalty area to head home Liverpool‘s fourth goal, tens of thousands in Anfield and millions watching at home were quick to write Norwich City off as mere cannon fodder for Premier League teams in 2019/20.
Defending Norwich’s Opening Day Defeat
Canaries Overwhelmed By Reds
At first glance this seems a fair observation, they were overwhelmed in the first half by Jurgen Klopp’s stellar Liverpool side who looked a cut above their East Anglian opponents. The Reds kicked off 2019/20 in the same vein that they finished 2018/19 and their fast flowing attacking play was, as usual, a sheer delight to watch.
However, the scoreline certainly flattered the Reds and whilst they were the superior side, Daniel Farke will feel there were numerous positives to take from the game. Farke has shown that off the field he is willing to trust in the personnel that took his side to the summit of the Championship table, having spent just £3.5m this summer and this was reflected on the pitch too. He showed faith in the high-octane attacking style that led them to an impressive tally of 94 points in 2018/19.
Canaries Continue To Attack
Farke’s focus on attacking leads to a barrage of shots on the opposition goal and this was no different against Liverpool. The Canaries had 12 attempts on goal, a figure bettered by no visiting side to Anfield in the entirety of 2018/19. Farke will delight in the chances his side created against one of the Premier League’s elite and the xG score of 1.69-0.78 showed it was a far closer encounter than the scoreline suggests.
Norwich City’s attacking style is reminiscent of Bournemouth’s of 2015/16 and Blackpool’s of 2010/11. This direct play lends itself to high scoring enthralling games but also the occasional heavy defeat such as Blackpool losing 6-0 loss to Arsenal or Bournemouth 5-1 to Tottenham Hotspur so Farke really should not be concerned that his high-risk high reward style leads to results like this.
There is also no shame in being on the receiving end of a Liverpool drubbing. They scored four or more on nine different occasions in 2018/19 and Norwich will not come up against a Liverpool every week so should be confident of getting points on the board in the very near future.
The benchmark for survival, 40 points, only requires around 12 wins; if Norwich City play like they did on Friday night they will certainly achieve this. Farke’s style of play will provide breathless entertainment and they will gain their plaudits if they stick by their guns and maintain their attacking style.
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