Furlock Bones said:

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I'm a hard no on Sargent. He can't do anything without good service into the box. Sargent doesn't finish well enough to to be a top of the spear guy just waiting for the ball.

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Josh Sargent changed the game when he came on today.

Chased every lost cause, won his aerial battles, brought his team up the pitch and encouraged the whole team to get on the front foot, brilliant impact #ncfc pic.twitter.com/EfKb20eySp

— Canary Cast (@CastCanary) November 20, 2021

Aston94 said:

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Pahdz said:

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whether we like it or not...we miss Zardes

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I don't really agree with this. Reyna? Yes. McKennie? Yes. Part-time Pulisic? Yes. Zardes? Eh.

He offered little in the last few WCQs before his injury.

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You can add Zardes to the list of 9's who can't score. I'll say it again - if we're gonna be stuck in a situation where we can't count on our 9 to score consistently, then we need Sargent who's really good in other facets of the game, and we need to scheme to account for that. Use the 9 to set up scores elsewhere. Zardes probably has better attacking movement than any of our nines, but once he gets the ball, nothing happens - neither scores, nor assists.

And I think we absolutely need to make sure we still get Pepi playing time because he at least can score brilliantly, if not consistently yet.

I'm aware of his short comings but what he offers in defense and his work rate in the high press is unmatched and something we could use in certain matches. Again...not as our full time starter but as a sub in certain situations.

Pahdz said:

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I'm aware of his short comings but what he offers in defense and his work rate in the high press is unmatched and something we could use in certain matches. Again...not as our full time starter but as a sub in certain situations.

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I don't disagree that he's good there, but I think Sargent is better. Sargent honed his pressing abilities in the Bundesliga which is where the Gegenpress was born. It's not just a luxury to have a forward who can press there, it's a job requirement.

Zardes is certainly the safe choice based on experience, but I think Sargent is the better choice overall given his talent. No idea what's happening behind the scenes that precipitated a lack of a call-up, but I think it's a shame he hasn't gotten a chance. When Zardes got injured I thought we'd see him on the roster.

Pahdz said:

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I'm aware of his short comings but what he offers in defense and his work rate in the high press is unmatched and something we could use in certain matches. Again...not as our full time starter but as a sub in certain situations.

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All admirable qualities, but not what we need in a 9. We need offensive abilities like possessing the ball, distribution of ball and the ability to score.

He offers little in those categories.

This seems relevant to the convo - https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/nov/22/premier-league-10-talking-points-from-the-weekends-action

"Do Norwich City have enough quality to stay in the Premier League? That's one of the questions asked by radio provocateurs after the Canaries' dismal start to the season. Dean Smith arrived last week with a firm answer yes and against Southampton he got to test his hypothesis in the flesh. Reinstating two naturally talented players in Billy Gilmour and Todd Cantwell to the side had a mixed success. Both struggled in the first half as the Saints dominated, with Cantwell taken off at half-time. Gilmour grew into the game as Norwich played higher, but it was Cantwell's replacement Josh Sargent who affected the game more. Sargent has been criticised for his lack of goal threat but his intelligence and determination disrupted the visitors' flow. Equally, the timing and bravery of Ben Gibson proved crucial in keeping the Canaries in the match early on. The qualities required to keep Norwich in touch extend beyond technical ability."

deadbq03 said:

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Pahdz said:

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I'm aware of his short comings but what he offers in defense and his work rate in the high press is unmatched and something we could use in certain matches. Again...not as our full time starter but as a sub in certain situations.

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I don't disagree that he's good there, but I think Sargent is better. Sargent honed his pressing abilities in the Bundesliga which is where the Gegenpress was born. It's not just a luxury to have a forward who can press there, it's a job requirement.

Zardes is certainly the safe choice based on experience, but I think Sargent is the better choice overall given his talent. No idea what's happening behind the scenes that precipitated a lack of a call-up, but I think it's a shame he hasn't gotten a chance. When Zardes got injured I thought we'd see him on the roster.

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This last window, Norwich had a managerial change. Probably was best for Josh to be there training and fighting for playing time with new regime in charge.

One thing, for the most part, Berhalter has been really good about balancing club and national team for the players to maximize both their careers. I'm sure we'll see Josh called in next year once he establish himself with regular playing time.

Pepi's choice in his next club will have considerable ripple effect @ #9 for the next two WCQ windows. Dike, Zardes and Ferreira will not have really played competitive matches in months. Pepi will get a move abroad but will he get consistent playing time? Will Pefolk and Giocchini step up at their club?

Good point on the manager change.

Funny how crappy my brain is sometimes. I just read about that a couple days ago but then completely forgot. If it's like this at 40, I shudder to think what it'll be like at 60 or 80. Come Lord Jesus.