David Wagner admits Norwich City have to raise their game to stay in touch with the Championship promotion pack.

The Canaries won one of their last five in the league to go into the international period outside the top six.

Daniel Farke brings Leeds to Carrow Road on the return to domestic action, and Norwich also face Sunderland and Middlesbrough in a testing run.

“It's very important that I, or we, don't get driven away by results too much,” said Wagner. “I'm aware about the table as well. But I think at the minute it is not the most important thing for us, for me.

"Obviously, everyone likes to win, but we have to be focused on the day to day work to improve performances, individual performances, and collectively the team performance as well.

“We have to make sure that we get more out of our chances so we are more clinical.

"Everybody knows that our first choice strikers are injured a while, and will be for some further weeks or months as well. We have to find solutions for this, and this is one of our challenges. We also have to make sure that we get our players back in a perfect physical shape as well.

“I'm full of confidence and have so much trust and belief in this group. After what I've seen - how committed they are, how they really work hard - that we will make their steps in the right direction.”

Wagner tried to shuffle his pack in recent league games to handle a congested spell of fixtures. The German had talked up the strides made by Dimi Giannoulis this season, but favoured Sam McCallum at left back for the 1-1 draw at Coventry.

“The changes before the game where because of fresh legs. We wanted to make sure that we had players who are fresh, fresh in the head as well, because we imagined that we would have to defend our box properly and particularly in the one versus one situations,” said the City chief. “Obviously second half, as well, with our substitutes we controlled the game.

"The work ethic was great and the commitment for the defence as well. We had a little too many turnovers from my point of view, some easy turnovers, especially in the first half.

"This was better in the second half and this was why we then control the game more.”