Club Brugge 3-0 Norwich City: Paddy Davitt friendly pointers

1. Plain sailing

A rather mischievous social media post from Adam Idah earlier this week might have set hearts aflutter in Norfolk, and Glasgow, as he took off from Norwich airport with the rest of his team-mates.

Bound for Belgium and his re-introduction to Johannes Hoff Thorup’s squad rather than anything related to a transfer saga which has plenty of mileage left to run.

Idah was the eye-catching name on the City team sheet in Roeselare. A pre-planned 30-minute run-out may have overrun a fraction but the sight of the Republic of Ireland international in green and yellow should at least quell some of the wilder talk around his future.

The forward is wanted back in Scotland after his vital goals during a six-month secondment helped land Celtic another league and cup double.

But Thorup has been nothing if not consistent in his public messaging around Idah. The Dane said he was keen to work with a player he felt from afar can really embellish his attacking template.

That opinion seems to have hardened, given Idah’s Belgian bow and also Thorup’s equally mischievous line in his post-match media he is having plenty of chats with a young striker he wants to remain at Carrow Road.

But Idah’s destiny is not entirely in City’s control. The length of contract strengthens their hand in any potential negotiations, yet equally there is no doubt if Celtic or any other suitor can match Norwich’s valuation there is a deal to be done.

Then and only then will Idah be boarding a flight to a new destination.  

2. Case for the defence

Maybe Thorup was cutely getting his message across ahead of what he knew was going to be a stiff test against the champions of Belgium; a squad rounding off their own pre-season prior to a Super Cup date this weekend.

After the rather more routine opening friendly win at Northampton the Dane made it clear at this stage little or no work had been undertaken to Norwich’s defensive patterns and positional priorities out of possession.

It is what City do with the ball that matters more to Thorup. But within nine minutes they found themselves 2-0 adrift, and the manner of the concessions highlighted what Thorup had sought to make clear.

That will come with time on the training pitches at Colney, but who he calls upon in a backline that spans the the experience of Shane Duffy and Grant Hanley with the rawness of a Brad Hills or an Emmanuel Adegboyega is still open to conjecture.

Summer signing Jose Cordoba is due to link up with his new club from next Monday, after his Copa America exploits with underdogs Panama.

The former Levski Sofia centre back has been bought to form the bedrock of this new direction under Thorup and Ben Knapper. But homegrown prospect Hills furthered his own case with a composed hour or so after replacing Idah.

Accrington and League Two was clearly well within his capability last season.

Now he has to prove to Thorup he can step into a Championship side where the demands on his central defenders are not just physical but tactical and technical.  

3. Jockeying for position

Attention has turned to who follows Cordoba through the door at Carrow Road this summer. 

The clock ticks ever closer to the Championship kick-off at Oxford on August 10, and Norwich have so far failed to bring in a replacement for the departed Dimi Giannoulis and Sam McCallum.

Guilherme Montoia started both the opening friendlies, but it is another 20-year-old left-sided defender occupying the minds of many a Norwich fan.

Callum Doyle has emerged from Manchester City’s academy, but perhaps finds his path to Pep Guardiola’s star-studded first team blocked by a club who can reasonably go out and afford any player in the world.

Doyle helped Coventry reach a Championship play-off final and played his part in Leicester’s title win, in two previous loan moves.

Little wonder Norwich is not alone among their second tier rivals in offering Doyle another first team opportunity ahead of the new campaign.

But there are complications. Doyle may be required for the Citizens’ upcoming tour of the USA.

That would inevitably delay his availability. But there is also a school of thought Manchester City would consider cashing in this summer. Like we have seen elsewhere this summer, the financial fair play parameters are contracting the room for manoeuvre for many a top club in England.

If Doyle, as a homegrown produced player, was to be traded that would be pure profit on Manchester City’s books.

For now, the Canaries seem prepared to wait patiently. Thorup played a straight bat when asked post-match but the smile on his features told a different story.

4. Trading places

Borja Sainz has clearly made an impression on Thorup. His tactical flexibility allied to his natural gifts has seen him deployed in a deeper midfield role against Northampton and Club Brugge.

That brought him into contact with the opposition just outside his own penalty in the costly early turnover that led to the opening goal of this friendly.

But there was also more evidence of his drive and his dynamism, if none of the fearsome shooting on this occasion, that brought him some stunning strikes in his first full season in English football.

Post-Idah’s first half departure, the ensuring shuffle saw him back in a more accustomed left-sided attacking role. Sainz is intelligent enough to adapt his game and despite his inadvertent role in the opening goal, always willing to track back and do his defensive duty.

His first season of Championship football had a fair share of highs and lows.

But in a Thorup system designed to embellish the squad’s more productive urges, Sainz cutting in from the left to exert a real influence on Norwich's attacking play could create the conditions for a big season ahead.

The Pink Un will be providing full coverage of the Canaries' time in Belgium, including both friendly matches against Club Brugge and Standard Liege, in partnership with Chips Away Norwich