We, the fans, have had sniffs, we’ve seen the snippets, we’ve had glimpses of dormant potential.  We have watched some of these players for years now and I think we could offer very accurate predictions of where these players will end up.  

I’m a little apprehensive that perhaps David Wagner is going to need a while before he can solve the riddles. I’m worried he’s going to possibly alienate some of the best players for the future, whilst chasing short term solutions.

There are no moans to be made against Burnley, just some observations on why it was a write-off and, more pertinently, are we starting to see a tactical template from DW, and is it what we think will work?

Angus Gunn, Liam Gibbs, Josh Sargent. At the start of the season, to me, these three lads were miles ahead of their peers but ‘on a hunch’,  Gunn was dropped, Sargent had to give up being an early Championship top scorer contender, and is again out of his natural position, and he’s gone back to being a scapegoat for many.

Then young Gibbs is not able to get back in this side because of the exaggerated impact of Gabby Sara. If Gibbs can’t play, what hope is there for Jacob Sorensen?

Against Burnley, Norwich were brought back to earth. I don’t really mind being spanked 3-0 by a team that didn’t even leave second gear, but what I do think is prudent to highlight is that 4-2-3-1 against Premier League standard teams has been a painful watch in recent years and, against the Clarets, it was no different.  

I hope DW isn’t going to be as focused on 4-2-3-1 as DF once was, because we don’t have the players available to us, even at this level, to relive those fabulous promotion seasons.

The concepts of inverted wingers or Kenny McLean dropping deep to be a quarterback is nothing new.  If Wagner wants to play 4-2-3-1 against better teams in this league, then he’ll need a bigger overhaul of the squad than what is plausible, in all likelihood.

My last few columns were specifically about Stuart Webber rather than the imminent appointment of Wagner. The match against the Clarets epitomised my feelings, because I would (literally) pick every single Burnley player against their Norwich counterpart, including the ever-young Ashley Barnes over Teemu Pukki.

I think too many of our fans have over-estimated the standard of our players for too long. Take Andy Omobamidele in defence, for example. Ben Godfrey was infinitely better in my opinion. There is nothing wrong with Andy O, it’s just that I would propose giving Sorensen a run as a centre back as being one of those subtle experiments that might reap huge rewards, but there are some Norwich fans who thought Andy O was going to be the next £25m player.

I’m afraid my personal opinion of him is that he is not technically good enough to beat a high press. Adam Idah is similar to Andy O, only he’s been around for longer. He needs his chance and an injury-free run, no doubt, but he made his senior debut three years ago.  He’s scored five league goals in that time?  

We also had a timely reminder about Kieran Dowell. Rarely can I remember a player being given such praise as recently. His lack of athleticism against Burnley was typical of recent seasons and I hope DW noticed it too. It’s not willingness, it’s his physical limits. 

In a nutshell, after years of watching these players, I personally suggest that Dowell is neither consistent, or athletic enough to be ahead of someone like Gibbs.  

I don't think either of our left backs are anywhere near good enough for the standards of a promotion-chasing team, I think Sorensen is a far more talented player, even out of position, than many others. I think Sargent could score 25 goals a season if we played to his strengths, and as for Gunn - I think we all know the answer to that!  

The problem is, when you join the dots, these guys might not be 4-2-3-1 type players, that perhaps 3-4-?-? in fact suits them much better. That's an opinion based on years and not weeks of analysing the group, both together and as individuals, and to focus on 4-2-3-1 puts an emphasis on the current players. Are they appropriate to match our ambitions?

'Tread carefully' is the title and one I chose carefully: Dowell on the right is an inclusion that magnifies the deficiencies of asking Sargent to be a central 10, in a space previously occupied by the wily Marco Stieperman or Emi Buendia. Asking Sargent to be a physical foil means losing the craft of Marcelino Nunez.  

It all adds up, and the balance of play against poorer teams masks the realities against the better teams.

There will always be consequences, necessary adaptions, from other players, if a single player is included against the grain. At the moment, Dowell is in the spotlight and others would appear to have to forfeit. It has worked in the short term, but this column is about how the team is built in the future. In the medium and long term, we all know the limits that come with Dowell’s undoubted talent.  

No doubt, DW is scratching his head wondering how to play these players in a 4-2-3-1 against the better teams in this league. That’s not a moan at DW, just an observation that there aren’t many round pegs for round holes at NCFC.  

We have to be very, very careful about who is part of the blueprint for the future and who potentially complicates the situation.

But I’m also very aware of just how good Burnley are and how DW is still learning about his squad.

I honestly don’t care about the result against Burnley, but it was a pertinent reminder of just how far away we truly are against Premier League quality.  

Burnley was a yardstick to measure against and to everyone associated with NCFC it was a reminder that DW’s job isn’t to beat the lower 50pc, it is about rebuilding this team so it can beat the other 50pc.

OTBC