Norwich City: Kellen Fisher, Jack Stacey battle analysed

It was 60 minutes into Norwich City's 4-1 win over Watford, on a sunny afternoon at Carrow Road. The Canaries were 3-1 up and, under pressure from visiting midfielder Rocco Vata, Shane Duffy had hastily chipped a pass into the right-back position.

Kellen Fisher was tasked with controlling a ball as it dropped over his shoulder, holding off three onrushing counterparts and somehow avoiding gifting possession to Tom Cleverley's side in his own half. The odds weren't good, and they wouldn't have been for many players.

But with an almost unsettling level of calm, he simply took the ball down, shrugged off Ken Sema, side-stepped James Morris, strolled past Tom Dele-Bashiru and laid off for Marcelino Nunez. Within eight seconds Norwich were beyond the halfway line, and they had plenty of space to exploit.

In many ways, that rapid sequence defined what was a fantastic performance from the 20-year-old. Making just his fourth Championship start after arriving from non-league football, he looked every bit the man for City's right-back berth.

The initial touch displayed his clear technical talent, the warding off of Sema, Morris and Dele-Bashiru his surprising physicality. When many his age would have got carried away and tried to continue the run, he had the clarity of thought to move the ball on - that footballing intelligence was another consistent theme.

Where many reacted with shock and even concern over Fisher's selection, Johannes Hoff Thorup had been justified in trusting him. Not only had he held his own, he was actually a key component in an exceptional performance.

That displayed a significant improvement from the English youth international, who has shown signs of that ability before but never put it all together in such a comprehensive outing. Those concerns didn't come from nowhere, and two early substitutions last season hinted at work being needed.

But the Fisher of Saturday afternoon took encouraging instances at Premier League Fulham, positive indications against Crystal Palace and noteworthy moments in pre-season, and multiplied them across 81 stellar minutes of Watford's visit.

Any doubts were, at least temporarily, quashed, any concerns extinguished. The task now, rather than proving he's got what it takes, is to replicate that on a regular basis. As his team have found this season, consistency is the hardest part, and that's the next frontier for the London native.

If he can tick that box then it appears Thorup has a long-term solution in the right-back position, a new man to be his Championship regular.

The right-back position is now Fisher's to lose (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd) But the next question becomes where that leaves Jack Stacey. Until 11:30am on Saturday, he was the starting choice. Many were aware of Fisher's talents, but there was little doubt looking at the appearance count. All of a sudden a 28-year-old, ex-Premier League full-back is faced by a situation he hasn't been since moving to Norfolk 16 months ago.

In truth it's a transition that portions of the fan base had predicted this summer. The style of play already affectionally dubbed 'Hoffball' appears much more suited to Fisher's strengths. Where he means possession, Stacey means verticality, and where he means inversion, Stacey means width.

That doesn't mean, however, that there isn't a place for the former Bournemouth man. At his best this season he's been an alternative option, a different source of danger in an otherwise homogeneous system. In the win over Coventry and the draw with Sheffield United, his thrust was vital.

Jack Stacey faces a fight for the right-back position (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd) But faced with a head coach whose every thought is about the machine, that individuality isn't always a strength. When it doesn't go right he looks out of place, as he did at times against Swansea or in the opening day trip to Oxford United. In any case he's got a real fight on his hands to get back into the line-up.

The shifting focus towards youth and possession helped the bigger picture, but 81 stirring minutes from Fisher appear to have changed the landscape of City right-backs.