Norwich City must try and impose themselves on Sunday's game against Burnley rather than being too focused on the physical joust, according to Dean Smith.
Sean Dyche's side are renowned for their robust and obdurate style in the Premier League. That is a challenge that City's squad will have to stand up to in order to extract a victory.
Smith was critical of his side's use of the ball during their goalless draw against Brighton and Hove Albion last weekend.
Given that side of the game may well prove decisive for Norwich as they seek to break down a well-organised Burnley side, Smith admits they need to unearth their quality when in possession.
“Our game is always going to be about what we do with the ball,” Smith said.
“We want to get back to being a hard to beat team. I think we’ve lost our way a little bit on the ball but it’s hard when you’re playing the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City over three games.
“We saw that at Brighton. We became hard to beat and defended our penalty box really well.
“If we just go and think about the physicality of Burnley, then we get beat because they have really good footballers as well.”
Smith was an avid watcher during the Clarets' 3-2 victory over Everton in midweek and was left with no sudden realisations on how they will approach Sunday's game.
City's boss is under no illusions about the size of the task his side face on Sunday to ensure they keep themselves alive in the race for survival.
“Their physical numbers are really good so I don’t think playing Wednesday will bother them too much," he said.
“The win will give them a boost because it put them closer to Everton but it also gives us a boost because if we can win the game on Sunday then all of a sudden we are four points off it and it’s all to play for.
"I don't need to tell the players how big the game is. We're running out of games, we know that. We would like to be a lot higher and for our form to be better but it is what it is.
"We've got to go into the game working hard, being organised but also being competitive against a very competitive team."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here