Bristol City 0-1 Norwich City: Paddy Davitt Carabao Cup pointers

1. Pride

David Wagner used the word to describe what a side displaying nine changes from the romp at Huddersfield had produced against the Robins.

Another clean sheet, another win, another round navigated in the League Cup. But it was the fluency and the cohesion to the Canaries’ all-round offering that underscored the work Wagner and his coaches have put into a group who look full of self-assurance and confidence.

The German was able to turn to the likes of Ashley Barnes, Jack Stacey, Dimi Giannoulis and new signing Adam Forshaw to see this win over the line. Wagner had never previously won at Ashton Gate in his coaching career. There was even a rare away defeat since taking over at Carrow Road last season. But this result was never seriously in doubt.

George Long’s debut was largely a watching brief, apart from one flying leap to parry Nakhi Wells’ rising angled strike in the first half.

Wagner set his squad the challenge, after beating Millwall, to ‘attack’ the final three fixtures before the first international break of the season. Only Rotherham now stand between Norwich’s players fulfilling that brief.

2. Sargent blow

Wagner delivered the post-match injury news most had feared when his freescoring US international departed early on at Huddersfield. Sargent will be out ‘months, not weeks’ but it will require a further consultation with a specialist later this week to confirm if he requires surgery. For the player and his team that is a seismic loss.

Sargent had already started to deliver the type of goal output that strongly hinted he could emerge as the answer in a post Teemu Pukki era at Carrow Road.

Wagner again sought to soften the blow by pointing to the resource already in the building who can carry the goalscoring burden. But neither Ashley Barnes or Adam Idah offer quite the same pure athletic threat in that key number nine attacking spearhead role.

Wagner has until Friday night to make a move in the transfer market. But he reiterated once more in the bowels of Ashton Gate he is happy with this squad.

Finances will dictate the room for manoeuvre. Links to Kasey Palmer and Jan Kuchta in recent days were wide of the mark.

The challenge now, irrespective of whether City do look to cast their net in what remains of the transfer window, is to mitigate Sargent’s loss, and ensure it does not halt such a positive start to the new campaign.  

3. Missing McLean

A Canary heart or two might have skipped a beat when the team sheet dropped, and for the first time this season Kenny McLean’s name was not on it; given the previous 24 hours or so had seen speculation around the Scot attracting admiring glances from Daniel Farke at Leeds.

Nothing to see. McLean, along with Angus Gunn and Ben Gibson, were simply rested by David Wagner, with the weekend’s Championship trip to Rotherham clearly of greater importance. Plus there will be no let up for McLean and Gunn following international call ups for Scotland’s upcoming fixtures.

No need to unpick the semantics or nuance around ‘bids’ or ‘rejections of’. Norwich will not be trading McLean for £4m to Leeds or any other Championship rival. That much is clear.

Wagner broke out into a laugh before reassuring any who care to listen McLean will be still the building beyond Friday night’s deadline.

Along with Gabby Sara he is the heartbeat of this Canaries’ collective. Leeds would appear to have been linked with enough midfielders to field a starting XI this week alone.

File reported 'interest' in McLean as part of that rich tapestry or speculation, bluff and rumour that whips to a crescendo in the final hours and days of the transfer window.

Farke, we know, is a huge admirer of a player he deemed ‘indispensable’ after the first Premier League tilt.

But there will be no reunion in the days ahead. City are in the business of keeping their key talent, to rival the likes of Leeds, and whoever else harbours ambitions to return to the top table.

4. Sliding doors

Interesting that Wagner opted to deploy Marcelino Nunez in the more withdrawn role alongside Sara at Ashton Gate, with Liam Gibbs tasked as that link player to Idah.

Gibbs finished last season under Wagner’s charge as a holding central midfield player, while Nunez had his dress rehearsal in a more advanced role at QPR in the previous League Cup outing.

In truth, neither had yet suggested this season they could feasibly dislodge either McLean or Sara, after the control and the composure they have displayed in the opening four unbeaten Championship games for the Canaries.

But this was a rare start - and another chance in the gaps between Championship progress - for Nunez and Gibbs to catch the eye.

Gibbs was so unlucky his rising shot cannoned against the woodwork two minutes after the interval from Tony Springett’s clever flick. Then he stung the palms of Max O’Leary when he burst free again just before the hour mark. Wagner himself expressed his delight at the youngster’s all-round contribution in his post-match interview.

Nunez grew into the contest, after deferring to Sara in the first half. There was a composure to take the ball in pressure areas, and one lovely break when he halted a Robins’ attack and launched his own before a shot that just cleared the bar. Given Sargent’s lay-off there could be further opportunities in the weeks ahead.