Johannes Hoff Thorup reveals issue at Norwich City that needs fixing | OneFootball

Norwich boss Johannes Hoff Thorup gave a damning assessment of his side's defence after Sunday's 3-3 draw against Middlesbrough

Norwich City boss Johannes Hoff Thorup pulled no punches when asked about his side's defensive struggles after their 3-3 draw against Middlesbrough on Sunday.

The Canaries have now conceded 16 league goals this season, which although isn't one of the worst tallies in the league, has certainly held them back given the 22 they've scored is second only to Sunderland.

To highlight the gulf between those two sides, Norwich sit a whopping 10 points worse off than Sunderland, which just goes to show how key a solid defence can be in picking up a few extra points.

It's something Norwich will have to work on if they're to mount a serious promotion push again this time around after the disappointment of falling in the play-offs last season.

But at least Thorup has moved to quickly identify the problem, and speaking after Sunday's stalemate, he acknowledged that it was a problem he would have to find a solution to quickly, although he did also claim it's something not customary for his sides, so Norwich fans shouldn't get too downbeat just yet.

Thorup claims Norwich are "too open"

Despite taking an early lead against Boro on Sunday, Norwich found themselves trailing 3-1 at half-time, and although the resilience to bounce back shows character, Thorup was left to rue defensive slip ups which cost his side the game.

He was keen to shoulder some of the blame for that himself though, telling the Pink Un: telling the Pink Un: “I don't think you will ever believe that my favourite result in football is actually 1-0. But we're struggling a little bit, especially in our defensive game.

“We've become too open, too easily, in some situations, which, at the end of day, comes down to me. I need to prepare the boys better.

"We have to look at how we can be a little bit more solid in that phase of the game. But on the other hand, it also makes us play with a lot of intensity and forward minded thinking in more or less all the actions we have out there. That why games like Middlesbrough can happen. But actually sometimes I’d prefer a 1-0.

“In that 20 minute spell when we conceded goals we simply have to be better.

"But again, it is also small margins. We could have scored the second goal just straight after their second goal, where Borja Sainz hits the post with a beautiful attack down the left side. We just have to keep on going and keep on pushing.”

It would be amiss to criticise Sainz after the season he's had so far, topping the Championship goalscoring charts, but the miss Thorup alludes to is part of a recurring theme for Norwich this season, who have missed the Championship's joint-second most big chances (23 according to Fotmob).

Thorup will be keen to point out that the 34 they've created is the Championship's second most, so his side aren't particularly struggling in that sense.

They have, however, conceded an xG of 16.2 this season, which although is in line with the 16 league goals they've conceded, is more representative of a side in the bottom half of the table, not pushing for the play-offs.

That goes to show that if Norwich could tighten up their defence, then they have the attacking attributes to trouble most teams in the division, as is shown by their seven-game unbeaten run in the league.