Farke had many of the same issues Thorup is currently dealing with when he first took over Norwich. Both teams had an elderly roster that was adjusting to a new, progressive style, and they both had rather disappointing Championship seasons while finishing near the bottom of the pack.
Nonetheless, the German’s second season is regarded as one of the greatest in Championship history. It’s questionable if Thorup will follow suit, but the 17/18 season suggests that things are going in the right direction.
A squad overhaul is in progress under Johannes Hoff Thorup
Farke still had players like Nelson Olveira, Wes Hoolahan, James Maddison, and Russell Martin on his roster during his first campaign. Although they are all considered Norwich legends in one way or another, they are not as closely associated with the coach as players like Teemu Pukki and Emi Buendia would be in the upcoming season.
Whether or not they align with the club’s future goals, a new manager and sporting director will always take over what was already there. However, the newcomers will naturally want to begin assembling their own team as soon as possible, which results in a mix of eras that are not quite prepared to move forward but are on their way.
It’s hard to see a team containing Hoolahan, Alex Pritchard, Grant Hanley, and Mario Vrančić, but the 17/18 season was as much of a “transition” as the 24/25 season appears to be. In the future, a team with José Córdoba, Oscar Schwartau, Onel Hernandez, and Hanley could be difficult to envision.
In a season like this, it is difficult to push forward since the past and the future coexist simultaneously.
How the 2017/18 and 2024/25 season compare
Farke made it apparent that he intended to “dominate” the ball when he first arrived, and Thorup reiterated this sentiment in his first interview with the team.
Both of them have fulfilled their pledges to some extent. Farke’s team had 4% more possessions overall than the previous
Farke raised average possession by an additional 3% at the end of his first championship campaign, but surprisingly, it was still less than Thorup’s current level of 58%. Even though ‘Farkeball’ was more upbeat, the results weren’t always consistent, as they only managed three points fifteen times.
The same can be said about Thorup’s Norwich, where there have been hints of the possession-based style of football that is being developed, but it has proven difficult to translate those ideas into outcomes.
Borja Sainz could be Johannes Thorup Hoff’s James Maddison
Another similarity between the two seasons has been the reliance on one man. For Farke, it was Maddison and for Thorup, it’s now Borja Sainz.
The frustration for Norwich fans is that they cannot enjoy their best players at Carrow Road for long, with Sainz already being eyed overseas while during the 17/18 campaign, Maddison had already caught the attention of the Premier League by January.
Sainz has already surpassed Maddison’s goal tally in their respective best seasons at the club, with the Spaniard on 15 goals before Christmas compared to the now Tottenham man who had 14 goals and eight assists making him the side’s top goal contributor.
They are different players, Maddison was much more of a creator than a goalscorer, but that shouldn’t detract from the fact that they were both standouts in otherwise mediocre seasons. All Norwich fans would rightly say they’d prefer the team that didn’t include Maddison the following season. His sale gave the cash injection needed to fully implement Farke’s ideals.
What happens with Sainz going forward is pure speculation, but if and when he does make an exit, the funds raised will go a long way to fully shaping a Thorup squad, rather than the mismatch of eras this season has been dealt.
Johannes Hoff Thorup could look to Benjamin Nygren of his former club to help solve right wing issue and provide cover for an in demand Borja Sainz.
Patience will still be needed at Norwich City
None of this is to say that Norwich will be promoted next season. What made the 18/19 season so special was the fact that it was so unexpected, but even then Farke would only manage one win out of his first six.
Of course, results are still needed in the meantime, and the Canaries’ ‘blip’ from November has gradually transformed into a longer dip in form than what the Carrow Road faithful would have liked.
It’s crucial to keep in mind, though, that Farke finished much closer to the bottom of the table than the top in his debut season, and Sporting Director Stuart Webber acknowledged that a bad season doesn’t always indicate that things aren’t going well.
It will be difficult to maintain faith, particularly in light of recent results, but Thorup is aware that it’s never easy.
According to him: “It will still take some time for us to be there, but what the guys are doing in terms of training and preparation, I have so much confidence in the group” .
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