Daniel Farke insists the criticism aimed at Timm Klose, Lukas Rupp and Josip Drmic for their roles in Norwich City’s relegation is wide of the mark.

Klose has made some costly errors on his return to the line up to try and plug a central defensive injury crisis, following his own long term knee lay off.

While both Rupp and Drmic have come in for close scrutiny among a section of City’s fanbase during their first difficult season at Carrow Road.

Farke acknowledged the frustration in certain quarters, but responded at Colney on Friday. Here is the full transcript from the Canaries’ head coach on both topics.

KLOSE

I really feel for Timm. Believe me he is unbelievably self-critical. It says a lot about his character that he doesn’t hide, he puts out his chest and he makes himself available for all these game days.

He doesn’t want to hide behind the excuse he was out for such a long time. I am so happy to have a player with his experience but if we had Grant Hanley and Christoph Zimmermann available there wouldn’t be such a need to immediately throw him back in without any friendlies even.

Or we could give him some rest.

I would say 95% of his performances are really good. He is there with the build up play, solid in many aspects but there are also one or two scenes in a game where he is not spot on in his game and they are quite costly.

If we could rotate and he plays maybe every seven days rather than three it would be easier for a guy out for 18 months. But we don’t have that option. He has to go into the next game when he is not probably fully recreated or on the top of his game.

We can’t expect one world class performance after another but he knows we need him. I like this attitude that is he thinking more about the team. I don’t blame him at all.

I know how difficult it is to deliver after 18 months out in the best league in the world. If we had other options you would see that consistency. Not only does he have to play but he also has to lead the group as well with the injuries to those players.

He can’t only concentrate on his game. He has to boost the spirits. So for me I will back him. I am not going to lie and say he has been the MVP in the last games.

RUPP & DRMIC

I want my players to accept criticism. You don’t have any arguments when you are in the position we are in the table. Or strikers don’t score or midfielders don’t make the key passes.

In this season we have not been great and disappointed our supporters. Maybe those lads, compared to the ones here last season, have not made good memories and will be punished more harshly.

But I have to judge it in a fair way. Even though their names are connected with this disappointing season.

Josip at Chelsea, or the games before, no other striker has covered so much distance in terms of workload. Chelsea was a not a game a striker is going to enjoy. You want crosses, you want penetrative passes.

He had to press, he had win defensive headers and to shift across the pitch. He also has (Antonio) Rudiger and (Kurt) Zouma at his back. Of course it was not a great performance where you score three or four goals. The same for Lukas.

No other player in the entire Premier League covered more ground in that round of fixtures. But he had some losses of the ball. We are not dominating the ball for 80% of the time.

It is the same for Marco (Stiepermann) or Mario (Vrancic), compared to last season, when they have played in the last few games.

They have to go through this period, take the criticism on board and if you invest a lot for the team then you will have days when the sun shines in the future.

I understand why the outside world judges them negatively. Of course they have topics they need to improve.