Good news is always welcome so it was a heartening sight as Sam Byram made his long-awaited return to action for Norwich City, having missed 80 matches while out injured.
Having returned to the bench against Manchester United, an injury and Covid-19 crisis brought that surprised round of applause at Carrow Road as Byram replaced the injured Ozan Kabak and came into midfield during first half injury-time of the 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa.
Amid three straight defeats and one goal in five games, his return after over 20 months out due to two hamstring operations has been rather swallowed up in Canaries concerns, but the significance wasn’t overlooked by team-mate Ben Gibson after the game.
“It will mean the world and he deserves it because he will have had a hideous two years,” said City’s captain on the night.
“In that time, he would have questioned is it worth it? Am I ever going to play again? Am I ever going to run the same again?
“He had setback after setback after setback, so I’m delighted for him. A top, top lad, a great professional and great guy.
“I just wish him all the best and, as you can see, he’s still a top player. He played in an unfamiliar position, did a great job in the game and got stuck in.
“To be honest, if we’d started the game with that attitude that he had when he came on, we’d have been a damned sight better than we were in the first half.”
Let’s take a tentative look back at the player City are hoping they will have back in the fold, after celebrating his 28th birthday in September.
I spoke to Byram during May 2020, as he hoped to be part of the Project Restart period after lockdown and he described the pain of his injury as feeling like he had been stabbed in the leg – with the pain captured in photos of the moment.
Unfortunately, however, that recovery would be aborted and a second operation on his right hamstring would be required, eventually missing all of last season as well.
Prior to all that misfortunate though, Byram had started 13 of City’s last 14 Premier League games at left-back ahead of Jamal Lewis, following the damaging 2-0 home defeat to Watford in November 2019.
His £750,000 switch from West Ham had followed a season on loan at Nottingham Forest that was mostly ruined by a knee injury, managing to return to starting action for the final month of the 2018-19 Championship season.
Byram had made a big impact in his first Canaries league start as well, coming in at right-back for the injured Max Aarons for the epic 3-2 win over Manchester City.
Once he’d eventually edged ahead of Lewis in the pecking order, he was offering a different style that was perhaps less eye-catching in attacking terms but more solid defensively.
It coincided with a run of fixtures that should have saved City’s season, with much-improved performances regularly ending in heartbreak, with a lead eroded in six of the eight games that followed the 2-0 win at Everton.
Averaged per 90 minutes by Wyscout, Lewis attempted more than double the number of dribbles (3.83) and almost four times more crosses (1.97) than Byram but didn’t have an assist to his name – with his one goal being the superb winner against Leicester ahead of lockdown, after Byram’s injury.
Yet Byram won more than double the number of aerial duels (5.02), almost twice as many interceptions (8.05) and averaged more tackles and clearances as well.
He too failed to provide an assist, starting 15 matches to Lewis’ 25, but his aerial ability also offered a new attacking option.
Byram averaged 0.9 attempts at goal per 90 minutes as opposed to 0.33 from his younger team-mate, illustrated in the last full game before his injury when he won two headers from corners during the 0-0 draw at Newcastle, being denied by a good save and seeing the other bounce just over the bar.
The attacking surges and athletic ability of Lewis had been an enjoyable element of the 2019-20 Championship title triumph but Byram appeared to have convinced Daniel Farke that he provided a better balance for a survival scrap.
So how do those 2019-20 numbers compare to City’s current full-backs?
He is similar to Brandon Williams, statistically, but it is those aerial numbers that stand out, perhaps similarly to a part of Kenny McLean’s game that makes him so valued as a team player.
Yet Williams, as with Dimitris Giannoulis and Aarons, averages higher for crosses, dribbles and progressive runs – with the only goal involvements from the full-backs so far coming from an assist apiece for Giannoulis and Aarons.
The Leeds United academy product recovering full fitness and match sharpness will take time and the Canaries will clearly be careful with a player who will be desperate to play but wary of taking on too much, too soon.
He was deemed fit enough to be thrown into Premier League battle by Dean Smith during that strange defeat to Villa when City’s squad was far from full strength.
With three games in seven days about to kick-off, more game-time to test his comeback potential may not be far away.
- You can listen to the latest episode of the Pink Un Podcast, previewing the clash with Arsenal, in the audio player above
NCFC EXTRA: Bottom at Christmas - so can Norwich City become lucky number four?
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