Corberan: We’re not going to choke at Norwich
TOWN BOSS PROMISES A TOUGH TEST FOR LEAGUE LEADERS TONIGHT
HUDDERSFIELD Town last faced Norwich City on the opening day of this strange, truncated campaign. It was the visitors who walked away from the John Smith’s Stadium with the spoils that day, thanks to a 1-0 win.
There’s nothing unusual about that. Indeed, it would be the first of 25 league victories so far this season as Daniel Farke’s men sit on the brink of an immediate return to the Premier League - a division they feebly departed just a year ago.
But it was perhaps the manner of the defeat that surprised many in September. Norwich stole the points late on after pouncing on a defensive error.
Town were not undone by the brilliance on Teemu Pukki or Todd Cantwell, but by an unforced error. Richard Stearman’s mistake gifted the visitors the victory but Town were right in the contest that day, against what has proved to be the best team in the division by some distance.
It has been a common theme this term, with members of the Terriers’ back-line committing cardinal errors at semi-regular junctures. Many accept it as a by-product of the type of football Carlos Corberan wants them to play.
Tonight’s tussle at Carrow Road will see Town set about the difficult task of becoming only the second team to leave Carrow Road with all three points.
To do so they will have to bridge a 41-point gap, but recent form suggests Norwich won’t have it all their own way.
Town are unbeaten in five and Saturday’s draw with Brentford showed their new-found solidity and ability to bloody the noses of those near the top of the table.
Corberan is expecting a tough test, naturally, but says his team have taken confidence from their minirun.
When asked if he was surprised that Norwich have kicked on from that opening day win, he said: “I’m not surprised because I know the style that they have with their coach.
“They are playing with the same style from three years ago.
“They didn’t change for the Premier League. They had exactly the same ideas. If you analyse their squad now, it’s very similar.
“They have some new players. Oliver Skipp, for example, is one of the best future English players so I am not surprised about them or their position in the table.
“We know that this is a high, high challenge.
“But we are trying to be a difficult team to beat and this is our mentality right now. I don’t expect any easy game from now until the end of the season. Norwich will make it difficult in terms of the quality they have, the versatility of their players which makes them difficult to press.”
Corberan also touched on the difference in personnel in his team from that previous match-up.
He said: “There’s no doubt we are a totally different team. I remember that game we played with Josh Koroma as a striker, Adama Diakhaby down one of the sides.
“We had the likes of Toffolo, Schindler, Hamer, Jackson. So yes, it’s a totally different side.
“We were in the game all the time that day and that’s we want to do again on Tuesday.”
■■Town squad to face Norwich (* indicates a doubt): Goalkeepers Ryan Schofield, Joel Pereira, Jayson Leutwiler
■■Defenders - Pipa*, Richard Stearman, Richard Keogh, Demeaco Duhaney, Naby Sarr, Jaden Brown, Rarmani Edmonds-Green ■■Midfielders - Jonathan Hogg, Alex Vallejo*, Juninho Bacuna, Lewis O’Brien, Duane Holmes, Isaac Mbenza, Scott High, Aaron Rowe ■■Forwards - Sorba Thomas, Fraizer Campbell, Danny Ward, Yaya Sanogo, Kieran Phillips.