Norwich City delivered with a timely Championship win against Birmingham City - but who was the stand out performer?

In stark contrast to that debacle at Millwall the other side of the international break there were plenty of candidates in Daniel Farke’s ranks.

Timm Klose underlined just how important he could be and how big a miss the Swiss centre-back was over those uncomfortable early weeks of the new regime. Klose was commanding when the Blues went direct, a constant source of encouragement to his deputy Christoph Zimmermann, and even found time to effectively earn an assist for Nelson Oliveira with his hooked far post effort bundled home by the frontman.

The Portuguese striker’s fifth goal of the season for club and country illustrated how imperative it was to resist ally potential suitors during the recent transfer window.


There was also a new-look central midfield pairing in Alex Tettey and league debutant Tom Trybull. The German’s calm demeanour in possession and Tettey’s unique brand of muscular combat proved an effective combination.

Ivo Pinto and Josh Murphy earned praised from rival manager Harry Redknapp for their influence on opposite flanks.

Our Norwich correspondent, Paddy Davitt, went for Klose, who was just as impressive off the pitch, on his seasonal re-appearance, when he revealed in post-match media commitments his desire to be a leader this season. City will need plenty of those.

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