Friday, 22 October 2004.
Nigel Worthington, Norwich City boss and TheFA.columnist, knows just what his side must do to turn draws into wins. Everton are next up for the Canaries.
We're doing alright just now, we're outside the bottom three, unbeaten in our last two games. We've just got to turn those draws into victories. We need to find the finish touch and add it to the rest of our game. When we do that I think we'll be alright.
We're playing good football at the minute, we're passing the ball and we've got a high work ethic. It's just the final part we need to add. In and around the opponent's goal we need to be clinical. If we can improve on that, not just our forwards but our whole team, then we'll pick up good points.
We have been getting forward, we've been creating chances, but we need to get on the end of the deliveries if we are going to make things happen for us. That's one of the biggest
factors we've learned from the Premier League so far. Arsenal, Manchester United, their strikers are lethal, they get a half chance and it's in the back of the net. We've got to try and do that ourselves, try to be more ruthless.
We've got Everton on Saturday. The last time we met was in The FA Cup earlier this year. They beat us 3-1 and in the first-half that day they pretty much out played us and overpowered us
. In the second-half, though, we did the same to them. We know it's going to be a tough game, they are having a very good season, currently sitting third, a point off Chelsea. There's been a few problems off the pitch, and last season the attention was on Wayne Rooney, but now it's on the club as a whole and the players are just getting on with what they enjoy doing.
David's playing a 4-5-1 formation which has been working well, they've been getting a few one-nil wins, They get nearly everyone behind the ball and deny space to the opposition and that's where we've got to try and be clever. A bit of good play and movement to get behind their back line and create some openings will give us a good chance of picking up some more points.
On Sunday we've got a mouth-watering match-up between Manchester United and Arsenal to look forward to. They are two of the three teams to beat us this season, so I've had a chance to assess them both. They are top-class sides, Arsenal, who are achieving everything at the moment, 49 games unbeaten, going for their 50th at Old Trafford, home of their biggest rivals over the last few years. While Manchester United, who are not unfamiliar to success, are looking to stop Arsenal in their latest feat.
I know Arsenal are going for the fifty game milestone, but in terms of the result, the slight pressure is perhaps more on United who have had an indifferent start by their standards. They are at home and the expectancy levels of the supporters is so great they will want nothing less than three points, so there will be a little bit of tension in the build-up.
It's such a tight call and I think it'll be a draw. Both sides have such great forwards, neither side is going to give too much away. To have that sort of strike-power would be amazing. I'd love to take just one of them to Carrow Road. If I had to choose, the overall package at this time would make me favour Thierry Henry. Blistering pace, good strength, wonderful feet and he knows how to score goals. If the ball drops near him, it'll be in the back of the net.
He sums up the word clinical. That's just what we're looking for.
Nigel Worthington