Huddersfield Town lost to Norwich in a game of few chances that was decided by a mistake from Richard Stearman, made shortly after being elbowed in the face by a Norwich player. It was an unfortunate way to lose a game but there were lots of positives to take away.
While it’s never nice to lose, this felt like one of the more acceptable losses we’ve had lately. We were up against quality opposition, we were a bit unlucky and there were signs of the new style starting to take effect. Which hopefully explains why these scores may seem high for a defeat.
Ben Hamer – 7 out of 10
No blunders! He made a good save in the second half but clumsily spilt the ball into danger but Stearman swept in to save his blushes. Otherwise this was a pretty good Hamer performance, his distribution was pretty good and he looked to get the ball moving out of the back quickly.
Harry Toffolo – 7 out of 10
A very busy performance which saw him take on a variety of roles as the game unfolded. He started in the usual left back position but at some time in the first half he looked to be playing defensive midfield alongside Hogg, with Diakhaby filling in at left back to deal with Norwich’s pace coming down that side. He then switched to central defence when Town were chasing the game late on and throwing on attackers to try and get an equaliser. Didn’t play with his usual freedom down the wings because of the defensive tasks he had to take on but he was dependable as always.
Richard Stearman – 6 out of 10
Was on course for a 9 or 10 out of 10 until his short back pass allowed Pukki clean through. It’s hard to blame him for the error as he had been forcefully elbowed in the face moments earlier. Prior to that he had been immense at the back, winning headers, making great tackles and proving the doubters (me included) wrong with a brilliant display. I can’t help but feel he was a bit let down by the physios and coaches for not being subbed when he took the whack. Maybe he insisted on staying on the pitch. Even if he did, it was a bit daft to let him carry on if his head wasn’t in the right place.
Christopher Schindler – 6 out of 10
Did not look as dynamic and commanding as Stearman next to him. Most likely still only half fit but did a reasonable job for the majority of the game. He was lucky to not be pulled up for a blatant foul on Aarons early in the second half. The replay show that his mistimed challenge should have been a penalty to Norwich.
Pipa – 8 out of 10
A really encouraging debut from the Spaniard. He looked lively and energetic down the right wing, making plenty of runs from deep to provide width and set attacks going. He did his defensive work diligently too. It’s early days but this performance gives him a solid start to life in England and hopefully he can build upon it as the season goes along.
Jonathan Hogg – 7 out of 10
Looked significantly better than last week, much more hustle and bustle to keep the defence protected and the space available to Norwich’s attackers limited. I was also impressed by some of his passing which showed more ambition than usual. I’ve questioned whether he will fit into Carlos’ system but this display suggests he does have a part to play.
Alex Pritchard – 5 out of 10
Another game where he got on the ball a lot but then didn’t do a great deal with it. Like a rubbish magician, he’s got a bag of tricks but none of them work. He was marginally better than last week but still isn’t the creative force we need him to be.
Ben Jackson – 6 out of 10
Struggled to make an impact on the game but showed some nice touches when he did manage to get in possession. It’s a big step for him to play in the Championship and it’s likely to take time before we see the best of him. As his confidence grows I hope we’ll see him force his way into the midfield battle and grab the game by the scruff of the neck. If he can do this then his natural passing ability will mean we’ve got a player that can really dictate play.
Adama Diakhaby – 8 out of 10
A great performance from the player I’ve spent a lot of time slagging off. He was the hardest working player on the pitch for long periods and his reward was to snuff out Aarons and Cantwell’s threat down Norwich’s right flank. It was a selfless performance in many ways, as he expended more energy tracking back than bombing forward but it was what the team needed on the day. He made a couple of decent runs too and looked more composed on the ball than in the past. Possibly because he seemed more aware of the Town players around him, which helped him have more of an end product.
Josh Koroma – 8 out of 10
Asked to play a less familiar role as the main striker after Danny Ward was ruled out through injury he still put in a fine performance. He looked like a real handful on the ball and showed a persistence that made him hard for their defence to handle. He’s not a natural striker and looked most dangerous when he dropped into wide areas but did a decent job for the team. He did well to make space to get away a long shot but wasn’t able to test the keeper.
Juninho Bacuna – 4 out of 10
While the rest of the team showed they were following the new head coach’s instructions to put in a high-energy performance, Bacuna spent periods of the game looking like he was out for a stroll. Frustratingly he even did this when his error led to us losing possession. If he doesn’t put in the required effort then he can’t play in this system. Ten players putting in maximum effort and one messing around and not tracking back means the whole thing doesn’t work as it should.
Substitutes
Issac Mbenza, Frazier Campbell and Jaden Brown all came on in the second half to try and swing things in Town’s favour but none of them made any significant impact upon the game. For that reason I’m not going to give any of them a score.
Spot on. Desperately sorry for Stearman who was man of the match until his one mistake. Toss up between Pritchard and Bacuna as to who was the most frustrating and disappointing.
Cheers Alex. We need to sign some players so underperformers can be dropped. We can’t drop Bacuna and Pritchard because the only other options are kids that aren’t ready to step up yet.
Must admit my scores pretty close to yours bar not sure how you rated Pritchard and Bacuna – I had as 1’s and that was for managing to turn up
It was tricky to score them. I’d say Bacuna showed some creativity particularly for that link up with Pipa that he didn’t quite get on the end of in the first half. But his lack of discipline and application weren’t good at all.
Pritchard showed more of the right kind of attitude when pressing but with the ball he couldn’t get anything to work for him.
Two poor performances for slightly different reasons but a few positives for each.
Sadly Stearman seems to make a mistake in every (recent) match that leads to a goal for the opposition, or at the very least a heart stopping memoment. Say what ypou like about him, and I want to like him, but he is a liability.
He’s cost us goals in the last two league games (he was awful against Millwall) but I against West Brom and until he was elbowed yesterday he’s shown he can do the job well.
If you see how fondly fans of his previous clubs speak of him it become obvious we’re not seeing the best version of Stearman. He’s a good old head to have around the squad but I hope Sarr is the first choice.
He also got made a fool of in pre season against Bradford and the Man United Juniors. By my calculation that is 4 goal conceding errors in the last 5 games.
That’s a worry. Sarr will be in quarantine still next weekend, so Carlos will have to decide whether to risk playing him again or otherwise give a youngster a chance.
Home Team Huddersfield Away Team Norwich
Possession Home48% Away52%
Shots Home7 Away16
Shots on Target Home1 Away5
Corners Home3 Away7
Fouls Home19 Away15
Where amongst that set of statistics can you say it was a good performance?
ONE shot on target.
Disgraceful!
Given it was a team tipped for promotion against a team tipped to go down, I think it was pretty good. My expectations for this squad, at least until it’s improved, are very low. Perhaps I’m too easily pleased but I think I saw enough to think we’re moving in the right direction. Recruitment is the big priority now, if we get that right then we should be fine but without new blood we could struggle.
I am fed up with “moving in the right direction”,” work in progress” etc. etc. We have heard that for the past 3 years and still we can’t score goals. These players are earning half a million a year upwards as is the coach. The management are taking hundreds of thousands a year out of the club. If this were any other industry none of them would still be in a job. We as supporters are paying for these dodo’s and we have been brainwashed to expect poor performances and if we score a goal it’s practically an open top bus ride through the town centre in celebration. I am also tired of being told we are “humble”. That literally means we are worse than everyone else and have no right to be there, or ” a working class club” who are expected to wear flat caps and keep whippets. I want the mentality throughout the club and support to be that we expect to win every match and not make excuses. Can I say like another local club who are no longer in the Championship.
I see your point John, we’ve had to endure some poor football this last few years. It’s likely to take time for the new Head Coach’s ideas to bed in though, so I can’t see us suddenly becoming world beaters.
Leeds’ success has been built on getting a great manager and then spending quite a bit on players. If we think Carlos can emulate that success then we have to give him similar backing. I’m not sure that’s going to happen.
Totally agree. Started without a striker on the pitch and a “gift-a-game” backline. Hopefully Sarr will replace one of the central defenders as soon as he is able to. It’s just a pity he can’t replace them both as Schindler is “Mr Dependable” most of the time, but offers no creativity from the back. I love Schindy to bits but he has been dining out in his Wembley winner for too long now.
Enjoyed your comment about about Pritchard – a modern day Tommy Cooper but sadly not as funny – when did he last play well?
I agree with most of your assessments; yesterday was promising, Steadman also strode out purposefully with the ball from defence, something Schindler is sadly incapable of replicating. I think Hoggy is and has been the biggest hindrance to Town and surely can’t survive: he is a walking red/yellow card; an erratic tackler; his distribution and ball control is even worse and finally he’s too slow.
I did enjoy a lot of what was on offer.
Thanks for the comment Beck. I thought Pritchard looked good in the friendlies and playing deeper seemed to suit him. He’s been rubbish in the last couple of games though.
Hogg has been a leader on and off the pitch for a long time so is hard to replace. He’s not the player he was two seasons ago but might still have something to offer. It’s hard to know where he fits as every player needs to be comfortable on the ball in this system and he’s not quite up to the required standard.
A good, honest assessment. Nothing to add.