Experience is over-rated for Daniel Farke as he prepares for his first East Anglian derby.
Norwich City’s head coach already knows what this fixture means to supporters after a crash course in cross-border rivalry during the past few days.
“It is for the mood, not only the league table. It is the only topic in the city for a week before the game, then you have six months to prepare to do it all over again,” he said. “Nearly each and every day I have had to speak about this game. That is okay, we love big matches. There is no favourite in this game because it is a special fixture.
“I don’t think it is so important to speak about experience. All the players are used to playing a derby in their life. When I think about a guy I brought with me from Borussia Dortmund, Christoph Zimmermann, he was probably the most passionate guy we had in those games in Germany. They all understand what it means because they are intelligent.
“This is big for the city, the club and the region. We are young team, albeit we have the experienced lads like Cameron Jerome and Wes Hoolahan, but they feel it and maybe it is a little bit more about calming them down. In that respect it is easier for me because I don’t need to motivate them.”
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Farke’s cold dissection of Ipswich’s threat has led to a desire to sharpen City’s counter-attacking play.
“That was the main topic this week,” he said. “Ipswich play with a high intensity at home and with a lot of aggressiveness.
“We have to prepare for a lot of one-against-one duels. We think they will try to press us pretty high and put pressure on our build-up, so we have to improve our pace on the counter-attacks and to make quicker decisions than we did against Hull to create chances.
“A derby is a bit like a cup game – it’s do or die and it’s important to feel this. But you also need to find the balance to stay cool and to concentrate – you need quality and concentration as well as the right attitude.
“It will be an emotional game and we want to bring our best performance on the pitch. The guys are focused and concentrated and you can feel from day to day that the focus is more concentrated. We’re looking forward to the game. It’s important to feel it’s a special game and to give a little bit more than 100pc - you need fire in the heart and to be cool in the head.”
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