Stoke City 1-1 Norwich: Narcis Pelach Championship view.
Narcis Pelach admitted a Norwich City reunion was bittersweet, but felt Stoke City deserved a point from a 1-1 Championship draw.
The Spaniard enjoyed his post-match hugs and catch ups with Johannes Hoff Thorup and the camp he was part of until last month, when he was headhunted by the Potters.
“I miss them. I miss them,” he said. “I miss Kenny (McLean), I miss Borja (Sainz), I miss Josh (Sargent). I miss all of them. Great players but apart from players very good human beings. Norwich is lucky to have all of them in that group. I managed to catch up with Johannes as well and it was very nice to see them back here.
“It was a big test. I have the feeling in the second half we could have won, but I think it’s fair, a point for both teams. I told them it doesn’t matter if it’s Norwich – they have good feet, ball possession side – we need to defend our style as well.
“We cannot change because of them, and we play at home. A point for each team is good. They took advantage of one situation and we’re 1-0 down. They only needed to score the second one and the game is done, but we’re working now a lot from a mental point of view.
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“We don’t need to panic, the game is long. The emotions go up and down in the game and you must control it. We’re at home, where the fans will support you. We were pressing high against a very good side. We were brave and I was pleased with the body language. They did what I wanted.”
Pelach is unbeaten in his last three as Stoke boss, either side of the recent international break.
“They were disappointed at the end of the game, which is very good to see,” he said. “They want more, but in three days we have Bristol City and all I want is for them to be ready to compete again, and to get points.
“We are already doing good things. It’s not a team afraid to press. We had 14 shots, more than Norwich I think. We saw the team trying to play. It’s not as, one day, I want to see them, but it’s a step in the right direction.”
