Norwich supporters have something to celebrate as they held a superior – on paper – Chelsea at the Carrow Road in third round of the FA Cup on Saturday.
The Blues rested a number of their first-team players following their 2-2 draw with Arsenal in the Premier League, but this does not take any of the credit away from a resolute Norwich performance.
Following the goal-less draw, we take a look at some of the key points from the game.
Chelsea needs to improve squad depth
The Chelsea reserves are a bit lacking. Without the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard and Alvaro Morata in the starting line-up, Chelsea looked somewhat uninspiring going forward in transition on the day.
This calls for a massive turn around by the end of the transfer window as a tough period looms ahead.
The Blues will play Arsenal over two legs in the Carabao semi-final before meeting Barcelona, Manchester United and Manchester City in late February.
Conte is well aware that his squad is a bit thin and will be looking to secure quality signings by the end of the month. He should. The performance against Norwich demonstrated that.
Norwich deserves credit
The Canaries were organised and tough to break in the match, and deserve credit for their performance against the elite Premier League side.
Even without the services of Thibaut Courtois, Eden Hazard and Victor Moses, the Blues brag resources capable of hurting Norwich.
Nevertheless, the hosts stood their ground and absorbed everything Chelsea threw at them. This was particularly evident near the end of the match as the Blues increased their level of urgency toward the end of the match in bid to avoid a replay.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oYs8hwxpIs
Replay beckons at the Bridge
Conte will have to rethink his approach to this fixture. We are likely to see more first-team members get involved in today’s replay.
Nowirch, on the other hand, will hope to reproduce the performance, this time away from home. On paper, it looks it’s all Chelsea, but the Canaries could pull a miracle if they tune themselves right.
