Canaries sing, but not the Blues

Andy Munro watches Blues go down to Norwich City.

This was the second game in a row where Blues deserved nothing, got nothing and yet again only showed some real aggression and urgency when we went one down.

In effect, we played with five at the back, which invited pressure from a talented Norwich side and this heventually told. Todd Cantwell, who looked a bit like Grealish in his alice band and annoying tumbles when anybody went near him was, to be fair, Grealish-like as well in his undoubted talent.

I couldn’t understand why he wasn’t closely marked on receiving the ball as once he went on a run he was difficult to contain. This was one canary who, to be brutally honest, ruled the roost.

As regards Blues offensively, Beko looked good early on until he lost the ball in dangerous positions, although he will be a real asset when match fit but was withdrawn as he ran out of steam. Scott Hogan cut a lonely figure without the Juke and looks to have regained his early post-COVID ‘form’. Sunjic and Clayton never got hold of the midfield and Bela failed to convince when he came on.

Overall, Blues looked a team lacking energy, and given that most of our signings have been on the mature side age-wise that’s a worry.

Undoubtedly, the best players by far were Etheridge in goal (which says something about the match) and the tricky and excellent Sanchez, who is probably now wishing he was on La Paloma Blanca. It’s still very early days but…