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‘What is the option? To give up’ - Bullish Farke on City’s next move
Adam Idah is in line for an FA Cup shot to impress Daniel Farke after his Premier League debut against Crystal Palace Picture: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images - Credit: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd
Daniel Farke insists Norwich City will never give up the Premier League fight on his watch.
The rock-bottom Canaries let another lead slip in a 1-1 New Year's Day draw to Crystal Palace to fall a distant seven points from safety.
City have led in seven of the past nine league games but only managed to beat Everton, to underline why Farke admits they need a 'little miracle' to survive.
"What is the option? To give up, raise the white flag and go back to the Championship in January?" he said. "No, we worked so hard to play on this level and while there is still a chance the players will do everything to create a little miracle. We are close but this is football. What you cannot do is lose the belief.
"We had a big chance to take a massive step at the start of this year. To pick up four points from Tottenham and Crystal Palace would have been a massive step. Right now, just two points and two unbeaten but it is not what we wanted.
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"It is a long road, we know that, because we have to come as close to 40 points as possible."
City have some respite from the Premier League grind this weekend with an FA Cup third round trip to Alex Neil's Preston.
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Farke will rest his big guns - including Teemu Pukki who departed in the closing stages against the Eagles with a hamstring scare - and that could open the door for teenage frontman Adam Idah. The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international replaced Pukki for his top flight debut in midweek with Dennis Srbeny (back) missing out and Josip Drmic (hamstring) sidelined.
Michael McGovern could get the nod in goal at Deepdale to give Tim Krul a breather with Ralf Fahrmann ruled out after picking up a hamstring issue.
"Before the last game Ralph injured himself in the warm up. It's a minor muscle injury in the lower part of his hamstring, not too bad," said Farke.
"The physios and doctors say 10 to 14 days out and he is five or so days into that recovery period. Perhaps Old Trafford for Manchester United or the weekend after but not for Preston.
"Dennis was moaning a bit about back pain so we had to leave him out (against Palace).
"That allowed us to bring Adam on the pitch for the first time in the Premier League.
"Congratulations to him, it is a sign of our way to work with unbelievably young players and I think he looked sharp when he came on."
