Kellen Fisher was the preferred option against Luton Town last weekend, but with Ben Chrisene as an option and Jose Cordoba fit again, how will City's boss approach the left side of his defensive quartet at Loftus Road?
In the Pink Un's live Preview Show on Friday, our correspondents Connor Southwell and Sam Seaman discussed the topic and the potential options available to City's head coach. The whole show can be watched in full here.
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CS: The other position outside midfield is probably Norwich’s left-back position. With the form that Jack Stacey is in and given the way that they’ve unlocked that right side - you’d expect, barring any problems with illness that has been in the camp - that Johannes Hoff Thorup will retain both Stacey and Amankwah Forson on that right side. The left side is interesting. With Callum Doyle moving into a central position and looking more comfortable, we’ve seen Kellen Fisher play as left back. Thorup clearly wants at least one of his full-backs to invert, but they did lose a little bit of left-footedness and balance by having him in that role, and it reduced the impact Sainz could make throughout the game. Would you be tempted to bring Ben Chrisene back into the line-up? Jose Cordoba is fit again, so the option is there to push Doyle back across to left back. He’s clearly a massive fan of Fisher and wants to have him in the team somewhere. He’s a fan of Doyle and Cordoba, but it doesn’t look like he’ll be able to get them all in the same team, so what do you see Thorup doing?
SS: It’s a really difficult one. As much as we talk about the midfield debate, that’s almost a trickier one for Thorup at the moment. On form, that is undoubtedly the four best players that he has available in defence. It doesn’t help Sainz in that role with Fisher there. Forson’s role inverting on the right has given Stacey a lot of space, but you can have it the other way, where the full-back being inverted means you don’t have as much space for the winger. Sainz has had those defenders taken off him. If you have a Chrisene out there, he won’t provide the threat or produce the numbers that Sainz was, but it forces the defender into a decision to go with Sainz or leave the space open for Chrisene to do what he wants. Norwich did miss that against Luton, and having a right footer there does not sit well with me. It's individual, and a lot of people have different views, but even with a footballer as good as Kellen Fisher, the number of times that you see him get the ball ahead of an opponent and have to cut back because he's on his weaker foot, it doesn't work particularly well for me. That is why Thorup is paid a lot of money to make these decisions. There isn't a lot of other places that you can keep Fisher in the side beyond left back, with Stacey in form and the midfield resolved. On balance, I think he'll stick with the same back four. Right now, I'd be tempted to keep Chrisene into left-back. He's been hard done by this season with some of his performances. I'd be okay with that from a Fisher point of view because I think he's in their best XI, and they will need him in future.
Callum Doyle and Ben Chrisene are other Norwich City left back options.Callum Doyle and Ben Chrisene are other Norwich City left back options. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd) CS: I don't really see Thorup putting Chrisene in whilst Stacey is on the right. That would then mean you have two full-backs that push up, and Thorup has typically played with an inverted option. Chrisene is much more of an athletic option who wants to join attacks but hasn't maybe got that adaptation needed to play in an inverted role. I think he'll be tempted to slot Cordoba back into the team, which would mean pushing Doyle back to left-back. You do get more out of him in possession, but you have to accept he leaves space behind for opponents to counter attack into - there is a risk and reward element to that. I think he'll keep Fisher in the team. He's been brilliant since he came into the team and the fact we're talking about him as a potential left back option despite his age. With Sainz, it's interesting that they've slightly adapted Marcondes' role to drift out wide when Sainz moves inside the pitch. That's what I think they'll try to do. But Thorup will be keen to get Cordoba back into the team in the mid to long-term. It's not my preference to have a right-footed left back in the long term, but I'd opt for Fisher. That said, I'd be quite happy with all the three options discussed and it's nice to be in a position of strength after their injury situation.