FARKE: NORWICH COULD BE ‘TRASH’ WHEN THINGS WENT WRONG
MARCELO Bielsa dropped to his haunches and looked at the floor. Suddenly, the man charged with turning fantasy into reality was acting like all those Leeds fans who have been daring to dream.
The biggest game at Elland Road for 16 years had entered stoppage time and the seconds felt like hours on Thursday. Up in the directors’ box, things were even more emotionally charged as Victor Orta, the director of football, popped out of his seat like an overworked jackin-the-box.
Then referee Jarred Gillett’s whistle blew and the mood instantly changed,
NORWICH City did not have enough quality in their squad to compete in the Premier League this season and when they got things wrong could be “trash”, manager Daniel Farke said after losing at Chelsea on Tuesday for an eighth successive defeat.
“You are always struggling with consistency when your individual quality is not always at the top level,” said the Norwich boss, whose side were already relegated at the weekend after a single season back up in the Premier League.
“On a good day we were competitive, even against the best sides in this league. We are capable of beating the likes of Manchester City, Leicester or Tottenham,” he said.
“But when we are not spot on in all departments then we can be trash. I think that is quite normal. A better side with more individual quality can at least be solid on a poor day and still with screams and bear hugs.
All the nerves and anxiety were get some points but we’re not capable of doing this.
“We always have to be spot-on with a 100% performance. When we do that we are competitive and can even win points at this level.”
Norwich’s 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge left them rooted to the bottom with 21 points, having won only five matches, but Farke was much happier than after the 4-0 loss at the weekend to West Ham United that condemned his side to return to the Championship.
“Three days ago we were relegated so it’s not like we have happy days at the moment, but I was pretty pleased with the reaction of my lads,” he said.
“We were really compact, competitive and not far away from taking a point. In terms of commitment and desire it was a really good performance. I was happy with the reaction after relegation.” gone. Leeds played erratically – but who cares? They are one point away from the Premier League, but they are back.
Whether it happens at Derby tomorrow or next Wednesday against Charlton, this single-goal victory over Barnsley was the one they needed to remove the lingering doubt.
Bielsa declined to speculate when asked if he had considered the prospect of ending this club’s top-flight exodus. Privately, however, he will know that one foot has crossed the threshold. Equally, though, he will be aware that his side needed every bit of defensive grit to secure this win. Barnsley showed they had not come to roll over.
Bielsa played his part in making it so nervy by constantly tweaking his side’s system. Pressure can do funny things.
A full stadium would have greeted the match with nervous gasps, but even with no fans inside, you could feel the tension.
For 20 minutes, Barnsley were camped in the Leeds half. Bielsa was ever more frantic. It only cooled down when captain Liam Cooper bellowed for calmness.
There was nothing calm about stoppage time though, as Barnsley had one final assault, but Leeds got there in the end.
“Relief, just relief,” said striker Bamford. “It’s going to be a big moment in history.” | Daily Mail
WESLEY Sneijder is considering following in the footsteps of his former Netherlands teammate Arjen Robben and returning to playing football next season,.
The 36-year-old Sneijder will start training later this month at amateur team DOS Holland Stichtse Boys in Utrecht, which could be the prelude to joining home town club FC Utrecht.
Sneijder, who won a record 134 caps for his country and played at Ajax Amsterdam, Real Madrid and Inter Milan, is to make a bid to return to fitness after a year out of the game.
His brother Jeffrey Sneijder, who is part of DHSC’s technical staff, told reporters: “Wesley wants to lose weight and be busy. He did say that it might give him an itch to play again. He’s been out for a while. Wesley wants to experience what it is like to be back on the field after a while without football and regain the sense of enjoyment.”
Last week, Utrecht’s technical director Jordy Zuidam said he had spoken to Sneijder about a comeback.
“Let it be clear that a top fit Sneijder is very an interesting prospect for FC Utrecht but the ball is in his court,” he said.
Robben, 36, recently signed a one-season deal with Groningen. |