We don’t know’ – Norwich boss on Blackburn Rovers mystery under Valerien Ismael
Norwich City boss, Johannes Hoff Thorup, admits there is greater uncertainty around Blackburn Rovers after appointing Valerien Ismael.
Rovers’ new head coach will be in the Ewood Park dugout for his first match this weekend. It is a step in the unknown for home fans and the opposition, though the Frenchman has vowed not to tinker too much.
It’s an important game for both sides as they bid to end the final dozen games with a top-six finish. Thorup conceded there is more mystery around Rovers now after the appointment.
“I’m sorry to the analyst department, because I messaged them yesterday to say that we had to watch Valerien Ismael’s former teams,” he told The Pink Un.
“We don’t know which players he’ll like, things like that. So we have to wait and see. But it’s 70-80% about us.
“There have been many similarities between what they’ve done recently and John Eustace’s setup. They are quite aggressive out of possession, and they have some good players up front as well. I’m impressed with their intensity in the game.
“Everything is an opportunity at the moment. But I don’t believe that there are ‘five cup finals’ or ‘six pointers’. It’s another league game, and there should be no difference in our approach.
“You don’t get performance or results from looking at other results – it changes every week. The only thing that will get you points is good performances.”
Norwich will be without influential midfielder Kenny McClean with a chest infection. Liam Gibbs and Amankwah Forson remain out too.
“Kenny is still having a little bit of symptoms from that chest infection,” Thorup said.
“He’s been on different medication to settle it down and to solve it. It will take some rest for him, and he needs to be just off his feet and not do too much for a period. Saturday will be too soon.
“It’s just waiting, and he’s impatient and frustrated because he’s all right when you see him. There’s nothing that affects his everyday life. He’s in, and he’s in the building, and he’s doing the stuff that he can.
“It’s just he still feels a little bit when he’s running out there, which we have to get rid of.”
