“This could be a barnstorming 10-10 draw, fit to make Liverpool and Arsenal blush,” writes Bill Jones, “but only if their inability to score succumbs to their failure to keep goals out.”
Who’s this beautiful man with a lovely voice? It’s
Daniel Farke, who is positively chipper despite his team’s recent struggles.
Annie Lennox
““It’s an important game, but it’s not all over whether we win or lose,” he says. “Even after Man City, we knew there would be difficult times, and we’ve had an injury crisis.”
“In football, all topics are connected. We’ve had to be more solid in defence, but now we’re not so fluent as before, so we’ve got to find that balance. To play football with the knife between your teeth, but with a smile on your face, it’s difficult.”
The teams
Norwich (4-2-3-1): Krul; Aarons, Tettey, Godfrey, Lewis; Trybull, McLean; Buendía, Stiepermann, Hernández; Pukki.
Subs: Fährmann, Byram, Vrancic, Cantwell, Drmic, Amadou, Srbeny.
Watford (3-4-1-2): Foster; Kabasele, Dawson, Cathcart; Janmaat, Capoue, Doucouré, Holebas; Hughes; Deulofeu, Pereyra.
Subs: Gomes, Mariappa, Deeney, Masina, Chalobah, Gray, Femenía.
Referee: Andre Marriner.
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Preamble
It’s nights like these that make you wonder how the Premier League gets away with it. The top flight’s Friday live slate rarely captures the imagination, but this clash between the league’s bottom two looks the most unappealing prospect on paper since [insert your own Brexit joke here].
That said, nobody expected a nine-goal thriller when Southampton hosted Leicester, and this early six-pointer does have the potential to be eminently watchable. Despite both being odds-on for the drop, these two teams are still capable of playing fluid, intelligent attacking football when everything clicks.
Unfortunately, both are also waist-deep in existential crises, weeks spent in the bottom three eroding their sense of identity. Watford brought in Quique Sánchez Flores to tighten up their defence, and have scored two goals in their last six league games. As for Norwich, well, they’ll always have Manchester City.
Since that statement win, Daniel Farke’s side have lost to a host of mid-table teams (Brighton, Burnley, Palace, Villa, United) without putting up much of a fight. Like his opposite number, Farke is caught between sticking to his team’s attacking ideals and buckling down for a dogfight, and is currently doing neither well.
As a result, all bets are off tonight. We might get a feast of attacking flair, or a buffet of defensive howlers. Either team could conceivably do what Leicester did, and turn what looks a tight contest into a shooting gallery. Who knows, maybe Elton or Delia will feel compelled to intervene – and maybe the Man know’s what he’s doing after all.
Kick-off: 8pm GMT. Team news and buildup to follow …
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