|
Tue. September 21, 2021
League Cup - 3rd Round
Dover vs. Norwich
Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK
Betting Odds: Dover: 4-5 (Favourites) Draw: N/A Norwich: 3-1
Past Meetings: 5W 1D 1L
Norwich dropped down to the Championship this year and are likely contenders to promote back up this year. We've had our way with them historically and had a few big victories against them. Their top player is still striker Paul Bryce and we'll have to be careful with him.
We will field a complete backup team today and utilize a 4-4-2 DM formation, with only one striker up front. I'll start unhappy Paul Moses for his first ever senior team start and his good buddy Wayne Rooney will start right behind him in an attacking midfielder slot. Goalkeeper Youssouf Sylla, MC Shaun Spall, MR Kostas Kalfas and DC Abdallaye Kokaina all get their first Dover starts as well. We'll have Giorgos Gesios, Andrea Rocca and Neil Cairney on the bench should we need them. Renato Gaucho will start too, as he was away on international duty in our last game.
Dover: 4-4-2 DM Control (4-2-3-1)
GK - Y. Sylla
D - R. Gaucho, C. Contreras, A. Kokaina, J. Kuciak
M - Mancini, S. Spall
AM - C. Murray, W. Rooney, K. Kalfas
S - P. Moses
Bench - J. Varga, R. McLaughlin, N. Cairney, A. Rocca, A. Zubizarreta, S. Nasri, G. Gesios
Norwich are in a flat 4-4-2 to start. I tell the team I expect a victory tonight.
3 - We get the first chance, as Paul Moses sends a pass to the top of the area and Shaun Spall sends a hard shot at goal. It's turned aside by Tommy Devlin, their keeper and Moses jumps on the rebound and shoots wide.
20' - Norwich has the ball in our end and midfielder Liam Palmer sends a ball past our defence and into striker Garry White. He rounds Sylla and puts the ball into the net. Shocking. NORWICH GOAL 0-1
27' - Cameron Murray storms down field on a partial break and has Moses in the middle but shoots instead, right at Devlin who pushes it aside.
42' - We work a counter attack up to Murray. He is running down the left side and passes back to Renato Gaucho and the Brazilian sends a high cross into the box. Kostas Kalfas is there and at 6' 4", he rises above the defender and heads it into goal! A goal in his first Dover start! DOVER GOAL 1-1
HALFTIME - In a way, I didn't want that goal because I wanted to really tear into the team but instead I have to take a measured approach. We have 54% of possession and a 10-4 (5-1 on target) shot advantage. Paul Moses gets a 6.1 half time rating as he's still obviously pissed at me and Youssouf Sylla continues to struggle anytime he's in goal and has a 5.8 rating after being blamed for their goal. My assistant says that Moses is struggling to find motivation to play because of his issues with me. Great. Boy have I FUCKED this up. I tell Moses to go out and prove his point on the field and tell the rest of the team that they are outplaying them everywhere.
52' - Murray is seemingly playing well and gets through the defence before sending a shot that Devlin dives to save.
53' - Rooney sends it up field and Moses gets there. He speeds into goal and hits the goal post! Ugh!
55' - I take off Rooney and bring in Giorgos Gesios. We switch to a flat 4-4-2 control mentality.
57' - Gesios immediately makes his presence felt. He plays a one-two with Moses and tries to shoot from the top of the area but it hits a Norwich defender. It bounces into the area and Shaun Spall is there and POUNDS the ball into the back of the goal! His first with our club! DOVER GOAL 2-1
61' - Norwich work a counter and march all the way down the field and score but their forward was clearly offsides and the goal is called back. Whew!
65' - Yellow card for Renato Gaucho.
76' - Jozef Varga is on for Renato Gaucho.
89' - We get a corner and Gesios crosses to the far post. Contreras heads it but hits the crossbar.
We close them out.
Dover 2 - 1 Norwich
Goals - Kostas Kalfas (7.5), Shaun Spall (7.3)
Assists - Renato Gaucho (7.2), Paul Moses (6.8)
Man of the Match - Kostas Kalfas
Other Dover Notables - Claudio Contreras (7.4), Youssouf Sylla (5.8)
Attendance - 11,361
We saw our possession drop to 53% but we outshot them 22-4 (8-1 on target). A pretty good performance with our "B" team. Moses improved to a 6.8 after getting credit for an assist on Spall's winner. Sylla continues to put terrible games in for us whenever he's suited up and the Ivory Coast international is having trouble blending into the squad.
-- Moses won't even talk to me anymore. Is there ANY way I can get him off the ledge? I send him down to the U18s as punishment, as I can't fine him, nor can I send him back to Manchester United. I'm stuck with him and his surly attitude.
League Cup - 4th Round Draw
-- There are three Championship sides left in Doncaster, MK Dons and Watford but we draw Liverpool at home. City face United in a big 4th round matchup. Liverpool are once again threatening to sack their manager - gosh, am I ever glad I didn't take that job!
Next Up
-- We try to get back on the winning track in league play versus Aston Villa at Villa Park.
|