Norwich City failed to attempt a shot from outside the area for just the second time in 17 Premier League games as they lost 2-0 to Aston Villa. The other occasion was when they were thrashed 5-0 at Manchester City.
Bearing in mind that Dean Smith was without nine players due to Covid-19 complications or injury - a heavy burden for any squad let alone a promoted side bottom of the table - it was a worryingly blunt attempt.
It seems the full extent of that Covid outbreak could still be emerging, both at City and across English football, with clear worries that more postponements are on the way.
However, an XG (expected goals) rating of just 0.48 was the lowest the Canaries have managed at Carrow Road this season. Only in that mismatch at the Etihad (0.06) and the 7-0 crash at Chelsea (0.18) has the XG been so unimpressive.
It’s little surprise there were a load of boos at full-time. Watching your team offer such little threat is always frustrating but at least when it’s away against one of the big boys it doesn’t come as a surprise.
Smith had hoped that Norway midfielder Mathias Normann would be back in time for the visit of the Villans and, amid the lengthy list of absentees, will be keeping his fingers crossed that the deep-lying midfield quarterback is in contention to face West Ham.
The Rostov loanee was becoming something of a talisman after his early performances. He may not have been a direct replacement for the defensive nous and positioning of Tottenham talent Oliver Skipp, but he was ticking that tenacity box well enough.
His eye-catching attributes have been his eye for a forward pass and willingness to attempt long balls, as well as his desire to shoot from long range.
The statistics show that Normann is among the best in the Premier League in that regard so far this season.
The Norway international has unleashed 16 shots from outside the area during his nine appearances since joining. Only 12 players – ahead of Wednesday night’s games - have attempted more in the division, with all of those having made more appearances and the majority at least five more.
Brazilian winger Raphinha, of Leeds United, leads the way with 29 shots from outside the 18-yard box, ahead of Manchester City star Joao Cancelo (28).
SHOTS FROM OUTSIDE THE BOX
- 1 Raphinha (Leeds) - 29
- 2 Joao Cancelo (Man City) - 28
- 3 Said Benrahma (West Ham) – 23
- 4 Bruno Fernandez (Man Utd) - 21
- 5 Youri Tielemans (Leicester) - 19
- 13 Mathias Normann (Norwich) - 16
However, of that dozen to have attempted more than him, Raphinha is the only PL player to average more (2.1) per 90 minutes than Normann (2).
Internally, Pierre Lees-Melou ranks second in the long-range shooting metric at City with 11 attempted but is tied with Lukas Rupp and Milot Rashica in averaging 1.1 per 90.
Normann is one of just three players to support top scorer Teemu Pukki in the goal stakes so far, with centre-backs Grant Hanley and Andrew Omobamidele chipping in with a headed goal apiece from corners.
It is the Norwegian’s early strike during the 2-1 success at Brentford that further endeared him to the Canary nation, weaving to the edge of the box and firing a low left-footed effort into the bottom-right corner. It had been coming.
With some silky skills in the mix, the 25-year-old had forced two excellent saves from Jordan Pickford during the 2-0 defeat at Everton and lashed a low effort just wide during the 2-1 defeat to Leeds, after a Milot Rashica corner had bounced through to him.
He also clipped the crossbar during the goalless stalemate at Burnley, with an effort that was from inside the box. That attacking dynamism has clearly been missed.
Five-goal striker Pukki leads the way for shots in total with 31 attempted from 17 games and the only other players to try their luck more are Milot Rashica (18 in 13 matches) and Kenny McLean (18 in 16), although only three of McLean’s have been on target.
Pukki, unsurprisingly, also has the most shots on target (12) ahead of Rashica (8) and Normann (5), from a total of 16 attempted in nine appearances.
The old adage of ‘if you don’t shoot, you don’t score’ may not technically be a watertight theory – but teams don’t haul themselves out of relegation trouble without scoring goals, so it couldn’t hurt to try your luck more often.
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