Pointers: Observations from City U21s win at Gorleston

It was a thoroughly productive test for the development side on Saturday afternoon, with the team collecting their first victory of pre-season, beating Gorleston at Wellesley Park.

The non-league side managed to hold their own for large proportions of the game, but Norwich struck twice late on due to the composure illustrated by duo Toby Chilvers and LaSean Sealey. 

The game was played across three periods, which brought an opportunity for Norwich to rotate the entire matchday squad, with players coming back onto the pitch - despite already having been substituted.

The conditions proved testing, with the temperature and the pitch quality not ideal for the U21s team. 

Although it was thoroughly pleasing to see the U18s players on the scoresheet, the main objectives were for each individual to accumulate minutes under their belt, whilst implementing the new, technical style of play into a match situation.

Johannes Hoff Thorup's style is being implemented among the youth sides. (Image: Martyn Haworth/Focus Images Ltd)

In possession positives

During the fan forum event earlier in the month, Ben Knapper stated that Johannes Hoff Thorup wanted the academy sides to play similarly to the first team. With the U18s and U21s playing with differing levels of intent during the last campaign, the transition period may take a while for both sides to grasp.

However, the development side took a positive step toward achieving that clear style of play, with the team working collaboratively to provide a functional structure that represents Thorup’s beliefs. The U21s displayed a 3-2-5 formation during build-up play scenarios, sectionalising the attacking players into designated areas of the pitch. 

Although the 3-2-5 structure was prominent throughout, there were examples when the shape became asymmetrical. This was due to the central midfielders often taking up deeper positions - assisting the defenders playing through the lines. Tyler Williams and Lloyd Ofori-Manteaw were the players who conducted this, despite both being more comfortable in the backline. 

Tactical innovation was demonstrated in deeper areas and translated into the attacking zones of the pitch, with Miles Bracking, Toby Chilvers, and Damari Daley having the opportunity to act as shadow strikers during the game. Their responsibility was to identify pockets of space for their team-mates to play into while creating intelligent late runs into the box. 

The second goal originated from Chilvers, who made a late run into the box after realising that the midfield pivots were in position. The second-year scholar then finished in a composed manner after a clever moment of tactical play. 

Despite the team showcasing their understanding of the structure relatively well during the opening game, there’s evidently room for improvement.

Norwich found it difficult to play the ball forward in the middle third, resulting in a high volume of passes going horizontally or backwards. This was due to the pivots being unable to play on the half-turn and a lack of movement from the forward five. 

However, it’s crucial to apply context to this aforementioned point. Firstly, the deep-lying midfielders consisted of traditional defenders due to a lack of genuine midfield bodies. Furthermore, it was the opening game of pre-season, meaning the priority was getting minutes in legs. 

Due to Gorleston’s congested shape, the development team had more success at playing longer passes forward, switching the ball to the flanks. The long diagonal passes brought Norwich more success, as the team was able to overcome one-on-one battles against the opposition. Errol Mundle-Smith was a perfect example, as his dynamism and trickery caused problems.

Additionally, the objective for the academy sides would have been to break down Thorup’s style in specific stages.

The inaugural stage is allowing the central defenders to be comfortable in possession - playing progressive vertical passes. Although the frequency of vertical passes was slightly limited, the backline kept the ball accurately around the halfway line, and in deep areas.

It’s vitally important that the academy sides feel extremely comfortable on the ball and turn their learnings into habits. Although it’s still so early into pre-season, Norwich's current trajectory of possession work is encouraging. 

Magnificent Mahovo

Lucien Mahovo delivered a strong performance at the weekend, with the new signing the standout performer in yellow and green.

Mahovo performed a role similar to Guilherme Montoia of the first team, with the teenager inverting infield during the deep build-up phase, formulating as a left centre back. The new signing delivered superb repetition at delivering this across the game, demonstrating his tactical intelligence. 

The youngster also showcased outstanding composure throughout the game, especially with the difficulties of the pitch having an influence. Mahovo was effective at increasing the tempo of the game on the left flank, linking with fellow new signing Theo Adelusi fluidly in the first third. 

That level of composure translated to a few situations in his own penalty box, with Mahovo gracefully evading oncoming pressure successfully. The teenager also used his body efficiently to deceive his direct opponent on a few occasions, highlighting the strength of his decision making in critical areas. 

Errol Mundle-Smith was impressive against Gorleston on Saturday. (Image: Martyn Haworth/Focus Images Ltd)

Mundle-Smith - the danger man.

Although Mundle-Smith has only played a selection of minutes during pre-season, the young forward started the campaign on a positive note.

With the squad being streamlined in certain positions, Mundle-Smith was forced to play as a left winger and still posed a significant threat. 

The teenager demonstrated an array of marauding runs forward, committing the opposition full-back into uncomfortable body positions.

In a game that was heavily subdued and lacked quality, the attacker caught the eye with his slick dribbling and explosion of pace. Those exact qualities earned the team free-kicks in dangerous areas of the pitch. 

Norwich City's U21s opened their pre-season friendly against Gorleston. (Image: Newsquest)

Clinical Sealey

On the subject of players who continued their form from last season, LaSean Sealey falls into this category.

The industrious forward carries an immense physical frame, which assisted him at the weekend, as he managed to win a lot of fouls by getting his body in front of the ball - before his opponent.

Sealey is an incredibly willing runner, which is an explanation for his prominence as a right winger last season. 

However, the more pleasing aspect of this game for Sealey, was the numbers he accumulated. The young forward showcased excellent composure in the final third at the weekend, applying the right shot type to allow Norwich to open the scoring.

Sealey’s composure was repeated minutes later, with a perfectly weighted square pass into the box for Chilvers to convert home. Without putting too much pressure on the young man, he’s a player with an exciting profile.