Norwich City: Injury problems test Josh Sargent reliance

There is an injury crisis. That, so far, appears undisputed among fans, pundits, players and staff as they attempt to explain what's gone wrong for the Canaries in recent weeks.

Without Angus Gunn, Brad Hills, Liam Gibbs, Anis Ben Slimane, Onel Hernandez, Marcelino Nunez, Gabriel Forsyth, Ashley Barnes or Josh Sargent there's most definitely been what you could call a crisis, at least as far as football goes. Throw a four-game Kenny McLean suspension into the bargain and head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup really has had little to choose from.

Such certainty about the state of alarm City find themselves in wasn't present this time last year, when many of the themes were the same but the root cause was disputed. Norwich lost form in autumn after a positive start to the season, they struggled for a striker with Sargent on the sidelines and they slipped into the bottom half of the table.

For many behind the scenes, including David Wagner and even Delia Smith, there was a simple explanation that would also be repeated 12 months later: they thought that was an injury crisis too. But fans weren't quite as convinced, with a list that was nowhere near as lengthy as it has been for the last few weeks.

David Wagner cited an injury crisis when his Canaries lost form this time last year (Image: Matt Wilkinson/Focus Images Ltd) Their contention was that a crisis doesn't consist of a few important players being lost to fitness issues, and that City had simply been exposed for their lack of a plan B by losing Sargent so early in the season. There was no doubting the American's quality, but over-reliance on him was where the problems arose.

That same criticism can't be levelled this time around, even if the striking puzzle may be Thorup's toughest of the lot. The sheer number of names on that list have reduced the Dane to matchday squads with multiple players yet to make their debuts.

But soon that situation will apply again. At least if all goes to plan, anyway. Gunn is likely to return for the trip to face West Brom on Saturday, while Nunez and Hernandez will both hope to be available. McLean's ban ends immediately upon the final whistle at the Hawthorns, and Barnes isn't far from a return to action himself.

So now's the time to prove that this isn't the same problem as last season, and that Thorup can find a way to win without his talismanic front man.

Can City find form without Josh Sargent? (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd) Of course there are factors going against him, and it may not be fair to make an entirely direct comparison. The Dane is, after all, attempting a large-scale rebuild rather than the immediate success the club was geared for during the 2023-24 campaign.

But part of that rebuild is a tactical system designed to create its own avenues for success through patterns and plans, rather than simply individual quality from Sargent, Nunez, Gunn or any number of the other absentees.

What the mid-term provides, with many of those key players back but Sargent missing, is an opportunity to prove that's what it's doing, even at this early stage of the relatively new project. Much like the crisis itself, it's a chance to look beyond the current stars and into the long term, the bigger picture under Thorup.

But if there's one thing the last few weeks have shown, it's that the immediate future still matters, and not everyone will be let off the hook simply because it's a transitional season at Carrow Road. That's why it's not only ideal but, to a point, necessary for City to show that they aren't just a one-man team.

Things will get easier from here, but there is still plenty to prove in yellow and green.