Six things you might have missed from Swansea 1-0 City

1 - Error ridden

Johannes Hoff Thorup’s frustration was palpable in his post-match comments in South Wales.

That was created by a City performance that was littered with errors, especially after spells of possession were worked into promising positions.

In moments of real opportunity, City’s players repeatedly made the wrong decision or were pickpocketed when moments of greater quality would have yielded chances more consistently.

Throughout the 90 minutes, Norwich were dispossessed on 18 occasions – that is the highest from any of their five Championship matches this season. There were also 15 mis-controls, again, the joint-most of any contest so far.

That means they committed unforced errors 33 times during the encounter. It was an error-ridden display that stifled their attacking output at key moments throughout the game.

Borja Sainz was either dispossessed or mis-controlled on eight occasions – more than any other in yellow and green. Oscar Schwartau, Amankwah Forson, Josh Sargent, Ben Chrisene and Jack Stacey were among the most repeat offenders.

At half-time of this contest, City had recorded just a 53pc pass completion rate in the final third of the pitch. That lack of composure, both in the chance creation phase and in front of goal, meant they left Swansea without a point.

Norwich’s pass completion percentage of 81.3 is equal to that opening day defeat at Oxford United.

That context makes Thorup’s frustration, alongside those 750 City supporters, understandable.

2 - Head up, Amankwah

Amankwah Forson’s own goal was the first by a Norwich City player in 11 months – when Shane Duffy turned into his own net during last season’s 3-2 defeat to Daniel Farke’s Leeds.

The Ghana international was unable to halt his stride and diverted Eom Ji-Sung’s cross past Angus Gunn after just four minutes. That unfortunate moment gave City a mountain to climb.

Forson was the unlucky one. It was a mix-up between the experienced Kenny McLean and Jack Stacey that led to the goal in the first place.

The midfielder, after a bright start at City, is struggling to form at present. If Anis Ben Slimane would have been fit enough to feature, there is a question mark over whether he would have started at all.

Perhaps this is another illustration of what to expect from the bulk of City’s incomings in the early weeks of the campaign – inconsistency and a need for patience as they adapt to life in a new country, club and culture.

Forson’s dislocated shoulder may have played a part in his struggles and he also returned to England late after spending the international break with Ghana without playing a minute in their two matches.

There does seem to be a degree of wobbling in his confidence levels. The question now is whether Thorup opts to follow the path he’s taken with Ante Crnac after a difficult display to ease the load on his shoulders.

3 - Profligacy

Norwich are struggling to convert spells of promising possession into a consistent amount of goal-scoring opportunities.

Thorup admitted post-match that a review was required to understand fully why City, who have shown improvement in other areas, are not living up to their potential in this area.

Between Josh Sargent’s effort in the fifth minute to his volley from Ante Crnac’s knockdown in the 84th minute, Norwich had eight efforts on goal worth an expected goals rate, a statistic used to rank the quality of chances, of 0.57xg.

Per shot, the expected goals rate can be graded at 0.07 out of 1. That shows for nearly 80 minutes, City’s chance creation qualities were largely ineffective.

They created better openings after the tactical change late on, when Norwich amassed 0.55xg from Sargent and Borja Sainz’s opportunities.

City’s lack of efficiency is proving costly. For all the triumphant mood music around their victory at Coventry prior to the break, they recorded just one shot on target. Unlocking their attacking productivity is the next step of this project.

Fluctuating performances is a given with City still in early development. Several new additions, most young and new to life in England, require a period of adaptation.

But this game continued a theme of attacking frustration and an inability to cash in on promising spells of possession.  

Norwich City have taken five points from as many matches. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)4 - Context

After five games of the Championship campaign, City have taken five points and, if you dare to take a quick glance, sit 15th in the table.

That will naturally cause some concern from supporters, with one win in five matches undeniably a slower start to the campaign than many hoped for, even with recognition of the amount of change that has unfolded on and off the pitch.

But context is required – City have one more point than they did in both of Daniel Farke’s first two Championship campaigns in both 2017/18 and 2018/19.

One of those was very transitional whilst the other ended in title success.

Likewise, last season, David Wagner’s side had taken 10 points from their opening five matches. Dean Smith’s team mustered seven points. Both of those campaigns took a nosedive to varying degrees thereafter.

All of that proves that no hard or fast judgements can be taken about City’s end destination at this stage. There are still 41 matches and plenty of football to be played – that outlook may depend on how full any supporter views their glass.

Both Thorup and Ben Knapper factored in early defeats during their journey, and after two steps forward at Coventry, this result does feel like one back, but the history books prove it doesn’t need to be terminal.

Jose Cordoba's arrival prompted a shift in formation for Norwich City. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd) 5 - Three's the future?

As Norwich City chased the game in South Wales in pursuit of an equaliser, Thorup opted to alter their formation to a back three.

Jose Cordoba joined Shane Duffy and Callum Doyle in the backline, Liam Gibbs and Onel Hernandez operated as wing backs. The change enabled Ante Crnac to join Josh Sargent as a striker.

In the closing stages of the contest, City carved out opportunities and contained more of a threat but lacked the composure to find an equaliser.

With Cordoba forced to be patient, it begs the question about whether this formation is one that can be utilised from the off, with Norwich struggling to find a right-wing solution after Jonathan Rowe’s departure.

Thorup would need to locate a position for Sainz to flourish, and there would be a debate surrounding the two wing-backs, but it added a creative edge to City’s game whilst giving them strong foundations to play.

It would need to be tested under tougher conditions, with Swansea content to sit in a lower block and soak up pressure, but it provides a different option when chasing the contest. Given City use a back three to build up often, that wouldn’t be a drastic alteration.

Thorup has been wedded to his preferred 4-3-3 since joining City, but maybe a change of shape can fuel creativity.  

Tom Cleverley brings his Watford team to Carrow Road next weekend. (Image: PA Images) 6 - Stirring up a hornet's nest

Norwich City welcome quick out the blocks Watford to Carrow Road next week as they try to light the blue touch light paper on their Championship campaign.

Tom Cleverley’s side have defied some overcast pre-season predictions about their fortunes to win three of their opening five matches before a defeat and a draw has halted their perfect record.

Underlying performance data show the Hornets have attacked well but allowed their opponents to create a high volume of chances against them.

City will be hoping to show improvement in front of a Carrow Road crowd that will be desperate to witness a first home league win of the campaign. After two encouraging performances against Blackburn and Sheffield United, without a victory, the hope will be that a quick response can come in NR1 on Saturday.

Watford have enjoyed real sustained success over City in the last decade. Since December 2015, the sides have played each other on 12 occasions – the Hornets have won nine of those encounters.

Prior to last season’s 4-2 defeat to City, which came in bizarre circumstances with David Wagner and the supporters clashing heads over substitutions, Watford had won their last four in Norfolk.

If City can find a victory, this weekend’s frustrations will be quickly forgotten.