Norwich head coach Daniel Farke maintains his side are not about to abandon their passing game and just kick the ball “into the river” as they fight to stay in the Premier League.
The Canaries head to Burnley on Saturday bottom of the table with no points following six successive defeats.
While there were signs of improvement at Everton last weekend, where Norwich, playing with a back three, held their own for long spells after falling behind only to concede a late second which put pay to any hopes of a comeback, the end result was the same.
Farke’s men swept to a second Sky Bet Championship title in three years last season, but continue to struggle for a foothold back in the top flight following a tough run of opening fixtures.
Although the German head coach accepts the team’s approach must be adaptable as they try to produce the desired outcome, Farke insists it will not be at the expense of their high-pressing style.
“You have to be flexible, it makes no sense to be stubborn – you are not playing for style points, you are playing for (football) points and you have to be efficient,” Farke said.
“Last season we were praised a lot for our offensive attack, possession quality and goals, but one of our major strengths was also to be rock solid in defending with many clean sheets.
“But I do not think we improve right now if we just put the ball on the stand and into the river, just put long balls up to Teemu Pukki.
“We don’t have these type of players, so it is quite important we are good in possession.”
Farke added: “For me our approach at Everton was a role model for me in how we want to defend.
“We only allowed one chance for the home side, looked absolutely compact and solid – that is not always a guarantee though that you return to the dressing room with a clean sheet.
“You cannot be like a flag in the wind, that you train, play in a special way with a special philosophy and then say ‘no, right now we play completely different football.’
“When Burnley were in situations where they had a bad run of results I liked that, although they may have a different approach to us, they were really sticking to their football.
“They did not then try to change the approach too much, it was more like to show the consistency.
“You can be better in your approach (to a game), be flexible with it, sometimes in personnel terms or formation, but not the general approach.
“If Burnley would have tried to play like Man City, they would not be that successful in staying in this league.”
Despite Norwich’s shortcomings so far, Farke remains confident all is not yet lost.
“We are not happy we are bottom of the league with no points, but we also know the reasons,” he said.
“We are focussed and know what we have to improve.
“If we can show a bit more quality and efficiency in both boxes, then we have more chances to win many points in this league.”
