Mattsson's Call for Team Compactness
Pelle Mattsson believes Norwich City need to rediscover their compactness as a team to help address their early-season defensive struggles. The Canaries head into the international break having conceded 17 goals from their opening eight Championship games, a tally matched only by bottom club Burnley.
City have also gone 18 games in all competitions without keeping a clean sheet, with their last shutout coming away at Charlton in March. Its no secret that Philippe Clements side harbour top-eight ambitions this campaign, and Mattsson acknowledged the need to find solutions quickly to their out-of-possession problems if they are to achieve them.
“First, we need to be more compact as a team. We need to be tighter between the defence and midfield, and between the midfield, wingers and attackers,” the Dane said, speaking on The Pink'un.
Kovacevic Under Pressure from Criticism
Philippe Clement has offered a robust defence of Norwich City goalkeeper Vladan Kovacevic, insisting that life has rarely been harder for a shot-stopper. The Serbian has come under increased scrutiny for his performances against Middlesbrough and Bolton, both games where Norwich conceded four times.
Clement emphasized that the focus must be on improving the defensive unit as a whole rather than pointing fingers solely at the number one. “He started really well. In preparation, we almost didn't concede any goals or also no chances and a few good saves from Vlad,” he said.
“It's a collective thing. It's the same like when we score goals, it's not only the guy who scored the goals, but all the things before that need to be good to get that goal,” Clement added, highlighting the need for team cohesion.
Looking Ahead to Swansea Challenge
Mattsson stated that the team must prove themselves against Swansea City when Championship action resumes after the break. “At the moment, I would say they’re pretty far away. We need to be ready for those games,” he said.
He acknowledged the need to sort out the defensive problems the team has faced in recent matches. “We want to show that the performance we put in against Bolton isn't the way we want to show ourselves,” he added.
As the international break provides a brief respite, Mattsson plans to visit family back in Denmark, using the time to recharge before tackling the challenges ahead. “The only way we can bounce back well is to have a smile on our faces and get to work again,” he concluded.