1 – Bouncebackability
After Norwich City’s first defeat of the season away at Rotherham where complacency was a real issue, this will have been the response many wanted to witness.
Norwich have had a fortnight to stew on the events of the New York Stadium and the manner of their first half performance displayed a willingness to prove it was merely a blip.
The key players were damning in their verdict of City’s defeat in Yorkshire. In the interviews that followed that game the hurt and desire to put it right were evident. They certainly did that at a point where the narrative around their season could have potentially shifted.
It is the type of performance and victory that Norwich were unable to grind out last season. It may not be remembered in the grand scheme of a 46-game campaign, but its potential importance shouldn’t be downplayed.
Not every afternoon is going to be one where Norwich can showcase their offensive quality. Sometimes it is about being resilient, solid and working hard. All of those minerals characterise the type of side that David Wagner is seeking to create.
Norwich enjoy matches after the September international break historically – they’ve won the fixture directly after in each of the last nine occasions since 2006.
After a summer where experience and mentality featured heavily, this is proof they are heading in the right direction on that front.
2 – Home renovations
Given the negative experience of watching football at Carrow Road in the second half of the campaign, there will be one statistic in particular that pleases the powers that be after the opening weeks of the season.
Norwich have now won their opening three matches at home – the first time they’ve managed that feat since the 2006/07 campaign.
Back then, Robert Earnshaw was scoring goals at will under Nigel Worthington as they started the campaign well in their second season following Premier League relegation.
There are some nice parallels there with David Wagner’s side facing a similar challenge – but this was a different type of victory to the ones against Hull and Millwall previously.
Norwich had to dig deep into their reserves and defend doggedly to secure three crucial points against Alex Neil’s men.
Coming to Carrow Road now feels like something worth getting excited about; that is a stark contrast to a run of five games without a goal and poor performances last term.
Slowly, it feels like a spirit is being cultivated. Atmospheres are improving, there are signs of unity becoming increasingly apparent and Wagner’s ambition of making it a difficult place to come is coming to fruition.
Wednesday’s test against Leicester will be the toughest yet – but it is one that Norwich fans are relishing rather than fearing.
3 – Lessons to learn
Post-match, David Wagner was left bemoaning his side’s struggles to manage the game effectively on three specific occasions.
Tony Springett, Hwang Ui-jo and Onel Hernandez all opted to try and cap off the game with a second goal when taking the ball to the corner felt more appropriate given how infrequently Norwich were able to get up the pitch.
That heaped more pressure on City’s defence to preserve their lead and had Dwight Gayle made contact with Daniel Johnson’s cross in the dying embers of the contest, Norwich may well have been made to pay.
Wagner made his frustrations known at the time – especially at the experienced Hernandez and Hwang who have plenty of miles on the clock.
It fed into a second half where Norwich found themselves penned into their own half after a tactical tweak from Alex Neil at half time. Game state, with City protecting a lead and Stoke chasing, also played a part.
Two of the last four halves against Rotherham and Stoke illustrate that there is more work to do – but that will only focus minds in the weeks ahead.
Wagner and his coaching team will be keen to ensure the message gets through should they find themselves in a promising position in games in the coming weeks.
4 – Tuition
Hwang Ui-jo had only been with his new Norwich City colleagues for 48 hours prior to stepping on the Carrow Road pitch and making his debut for the club on Saturday.
The South Korean was a Deadline Day addition as they sought to add a reinforcement after Josh Sargent’s injury, which is likely to keep him sidelined until the New Year. Hwang was their top target, and Norwich were willing to be patient to sign him.
By Wagner’s own admission, it will take time for the on-loan Nottingham Forest man to get up to speed with the way Norwich want to play.
Prior to kick-off, Hwang was exchanging with Adam Idah in a drill that saw Norwich working on their shape and movement between attacking players from crossing situations. That isn’t usually a situation that substitutes are involved in.
During his warm-ups during the game, Adam Forshaw was alongside him and coaching him through different scenarios whilst the match was ongoing. The experienced midfielder was focusing on positioning and preparing him for getting onto the pitch.
Hwang’s task when he replaced Idah was testing. Norwich were penned into their own half and left aimlessly pumping balls forward. There was a nice flick on that created Tony Springett’s opening and plenty of energy, but the conditions for him to make an impact were tough.
The education will continue.
5 – Fantastic Fassnacht
For all the talk of the impact that Ashley Barnes, Shane Duffy and Jack Stacey have made as summer recruits, Christian Fassnacht is rivalling them on importance to Norwich City’s side.
The Swiss international was somewhat of an unknown quantity when he arrived at Carrow Road from Young Boys in the summer as the only player City committed a transfer fee to sign.
But his CV shows numerous league titles, international football and Champions League participations – there should be little surprise at the quality he has brought to Carrow Road in the opening weeks of his spell in Norfolk.
Fassnacht is an elegant footballer who uses intelligent movement and technical quality to affect matches. There is already a real synergy between himself and right-back Jack Stacey, who threatened throughout this fixture.
Wagner felt the 29-year-old matched a profile of player not currently present in City’s ranks. He was right. Fassnacht is effective and increasingly looking a grade above most at Championship level.
As pleasing as his attacking work, which saw him drag Lynden Gooch centrally on multiple occasions to open up the right flank for Stacey to attack, was the commitment to his defensive duties.
There was one lung-busting run to cover and win the ball superbly from Gooch, and no Norwich player won more tackles than Fassnacht’s four throughout the afternoon.
Post-match, Borja Sainz was put through his paces in a mini-training session led by Andy Hughes. The competition for places in wide areas is intensifying. Fassnacht is the bar the others need to reach.
6 – Foxes test awaits
This victory marks the first of a testing Carrow Road double header that kickstarts a spell of seven games in 21 days for the Canaries.
Pre-game, David Wagner said that Stoke represented the sternest test for City since Southampton in August. The competition is set to step up a gear once more as Norwich welcome title favourites Leicester to Carrow Road on Wednesday.
Enzo Maresca’s Foxes stroll in Norfolk off the back of a thumping 4-1 victory over Russell Martin’s Saints on Friday and are viewed by many as the benchmark this season.
For Norwich, it will be a litmus test of their credentials after such a positive start to the campaign and one that everyone will be relishing.
Leicester have won five of their opening six matches and possess a star-studded squad dripping with Premier League experience.
There is still a consensus that they are yet to reach top gear, but individual quality is helping them navigate contests and overcome challenges.
Some may view it as a free hit of sorts for Norwich, but Wagner and his coaching staff will be considering it anything but. If they can produce a performance and result, it’ll only reaffirm the growing view that something special is building in NR1.
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