Norwich City boss Alex Neil needs to work out his best team quickly if Canaries are to avoid the drop
Norwich City manager Alex Neil during his team's 3-0 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur. Picture: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images - Credit: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd
This is the second time in as many games that I have been left speechless by watching a game at Carrow Road. Now I am just exasperated.
After the Liverpool game, if there were any positives to be taken it was that we managed to get the ball into the back of the net four times. After Tuesday night’s game, I am struggling to find any positives.
It is often the case that when you are down the bottom of the league it can seem as if the important decisions go against you. On Tuesday, a very soft penalty was given against us (if I was Dele Alli, I would be embarrassed to have fallen over that easily) and then we were denied a clear-cut penalty of our own for a foul on Naismith.
I am also sure Olsson was fouled before Kane went on to score his second goal and Tottenham’s third – but it was difficult for me to be sure from my vantage point.
Kevin was definitely not our friend during this game (I have to thank Alex who sits next to me in the Barclay for the use of that quote). Norwich fans will all agree that Mr Friend and his assistants made some terrible decisions, however, we are most definitely the architects of our own downfall.
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To give a goal away so quickly after the start of the game is surely inexcusable. The defence were caught ball-watching and missed the run of Christian Eriksen, whose shot was saved by Rudd only to see Alli get to the ball first.
We did look better in the second half, but as we were already 2-0 down, we never looked like we could get back into the game.
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Alex Neil has to take his fair share of the blame. It is impossible for a team to gel if the line-up is changed week in, week out. Making one or two changes because of illness, injury or loan arrangements is understandable, but six?
The manager needs to work out his best team quickly, and stick to it. Don’t get me wrong, I am still a big fan of Alex Neil’s – I think he has done a great job as manager since he has been with us. It can’t be easy, being a manager in the Premier League.
So here we are, languishing perilously close to the drop zone going into a must-win match against Villa on Saturday. At the beginning of January, if asked I would have said that we would easily stay up. Today, I can honestly say I am not so sure, but am hopeful.
• Blog post written by Lorraine Taylor
