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Tettey admits poor display during heavy loss to West Ham shows why City are going down
Norwich players, from left, Alex Tettey, Mario Vrancic and Marco Stiepermann get that sinking feeling after West Ham's second goal Picture: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images - Credit: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd
Alex Tettey admits the manner of Norwich City’s abject relegation-sealing loss to West Ham emphasised the problems Daniel Farke’s team have had in the Premier League this season.
The Hammers romped to a 4-0 win behind closed doors at Carrow Road thanks to four goals from Michail Antonio, as the Canaries equalled a club record of seven consecutive league defeats.
“It’s very hard for me to talk but that was a tough game for us,” Tettey admitted was he spoke to BT Sport within minutes of the final whistle.
“I think we came out trying to be positive but again when you don’t do what you have to do on the pitch, you get punished.
“I can say with all four of those goals that we can’t defend like that and when you do even teams that are struggling will punish you, that’s the Premier League.
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“That’s what happened here today, we got punished for every mistake, every passing choice we made, not marking on corners - it’s tough, it’s tough.”
City’s longest serving player was dealing with the third top-flight relegation of his eight seasons with the club.
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The former Norway midfielder continued: “I’ve been saying the whole season that it’s going to be tough. To be in the position that we were and trying to get ourselves going, we get to games and try to be positive but at the end when it ends up not being a positive game it is always tough to get yourself going and that’s what it’s been the last couple of games to be fair.”
The defeat also saw Norwich become the most relegated club in Premier League history, moving ahead of Middlesbrough, Sunderland, West Brom and Crystal Palace with a fifth relegation since 1992.
Tettey concluded: “As I’ve said before this is not a club which buys players for forty or fifty million pounds, that’s never happened before, and if you have a group or a collective that you are trying to create, and talents, it’s always difficult.
“Yes it’s proven that you can do it but you need to be consistent and we’ve not done that, we’ve been in games sometimes but we’ve not had that mentality and that character that can help us win points and games enough.
“We’ve not had bodies, people have been injured and it’s been tough for the manager to pick players.
“So in all it’s been a tough journey but it’s a young group, their first season in the Premier League and now they have that experience and it will take them further.”