Analysis of Ben Chrisene after City's final pre-season game

The youngster has been afforded little time to digest his move to Norfolk, having immediately flown to Austria to join his new teammates after a deal was struck with Aston Villa a week earlier after delays due to their tour of the US. 

Given that Norwich only returned back to the UK from Innsbruck on Friday evening, Chrisene had little time to process everything that had unfolded before taking to the turf at Carrow Road on Saturday. 

But, with Norwich limited for left-back options and the beginning of the campaign on the horizon, Chrisene doesn't have time for a slow introduction. 

The first, perhaps most striking, observation about Chrisene is his physicality and power. Norwich has been long-term admirers of Chrisene during his development at Villa Park, and they moved quickly once word spread of his availability. 

Villa rated him so highly that a new contract was offered in the hope of retaining his services, but Chrisene felt another challenge closer to a first-team was the best next stage for his career. Norwich rewarded that bravery with a four-year deal. 

Johannes Hoff Thorup has made similar observations during training about Chrisene's physical prowess and utilised the final pre-season friendly against Bundesliga side St Pauli to experiment with that ahead of the Championship beginning next weekend. 

Much has been written and said about the way Norwich have primarily looked to build up under the Dane, using an inverted left back to construct a back three, allowing Jack Stacey to be aggressive in his positioning. 

Thorup wants Norwich to be multifaceted in their build-up, however, and that saw him utilise Chrisene in a more offensive way than City's left-backs have shown throughout the preparation matches to date. 

During City's most profitable period of the game, the opening 20 minutes, Christene was at the heart of their work. His progressive running and athleticism saw impressive combinations with Borja Sainz that pushed the team up the pitch. 

His profile does provide City with an alternative way to build their game, but Chrisene is also comfortable technically when asked to tuck into a more central role during phases of possession. 

In truth, as City's performance faded following Jackson Irvine's bullet header after they were undone at a corner, so too did Chrisene's. It was his error, a loose pass designed for Liam Gibbs, that allowed St Pauli to sweep through the defence before Johannes Eggestein slotted home. 

Chrisene has had a disjointed pre-season campaign at Villa amid uncertainty over his future, and that base of fitness, both physically and in-game scenarios, may not be where Norwich would hope at this stage. 

At 20, Chrisene does feel very coachable. Even in a 60-minute showing at Carrow Road, those raw materials were visible. Likewise, there were deficiencies and a need to further align with Thorup's preferred style and relevant instructions, but that will come with time. 

Ben Chrisene made his first Carrow Road friendly against St Pauli. (Image: Paul Chesterton)

During their pursuit of Chrisene, Norwich sought plenty of references, including from inside the FA owing to his association with England's youth sides. His application, physique and football intelligence were all cited as positives. The hope is that Thorup and assistant Glen Riddersholm can coax even more out of him. 

Chrisene is mature enough to understand that patience may be required - but in the current context, the 20-year-old has a major opportunity to make his competitive debut for the Canaries at the Kassam Stadium next Saturday. 

With Jose Cordoba suffering a slight knock and in need of time to build up his reserves, Callum Doyle may well be needed to fill in as a left-sided central defender providing his loan move from Man City is completed in time. 

Chrisene is the only other left-back option beyond young Guilherme Montoia and thus would likely be handed the nod by Thorup on that side of the pitch. 

It would be somewhat of a baptism of fire for the youngster, but in patches of this contest he showed he could handle the heat. A brief loan spell at Blackburn last season will help avoid the shock factor of what the Championship has to offer. 

Given Norwich's newfound approach led by Thorup and sporting director Ben Knapper, Chrisene is one earmarked for the future - but there is an expectation that he can make an impact in the here and now. 

Ben Chrisene has played in the Championship previously with Blackburn. (Image: PA)

That may not always come from the starting line-up, but if an opportunity is provided at Oxford, then it becomes Chrisene's shirt to lose. 

VERDICT: Like Norwich more broadly, a bright start but faded thereafter. His powerful run offered City another dimension on the left side and enabled Borja Sainz to drift into more dangerous positions. Concession led to the third goal. 

RATING: 5 out of 10