Norwich City ended their run of seven matches without a win in the Championship by thrashing Wayne Rooney’s struggling Plymouth Argyle side 6-1 at Carrow Road on Tuesday night.
A second hat-trick of the season for Borja Sainz and goals from Shane Duffy, Anis Ben Slimane, and Ante Crnac wrapped up all three points for Johannes Hoff Thorup’s team in impressive fashion.
It has been an odd campaign to assess for the Danish head coach with plenty of good and bad moments, as well as many injury and suspension issues to deal with.
He was still without talisman Josh Sargent, midfield maestro Marcelino Nunez, dominant defender Jose Cordoba, and England U21 international Kellen Fisher for the clash with Plymouth, whilst captain Kenny McLean played for the first time in four games after a suspension.
One player who had a particularly interesting evening against The Pilgrims was central defender Duffy, whose performance somewhat summed up the entire season for the team.
Shane Duffy's performance against Plymouth
The Ireland international scored his second goal of the campaign in the second half to make it 3-1 to the Canaries, rising highest to brilliantly guide Emi Marcondes’ corner into the back of the net.
It was his third league goal for Norwich, from an xG tally of 4.24, and it came after he should have scored in the first half, blazing an effort over the bar from point-blank range after McLean flicked a corner on at the near post.
Duffy’s use of the ball also came with mixed success. He completed a whopping 104 passes but left a lot to be desired after two poor concessions of possession directly led to shots for Plymouth.
The veteran defender also lost four of his five ground duels, as opposition forwards were too quick for the centre-back to deal with at times.
However, as you can see in the clip above, it was his aggressive interception and positive pass that sparked the move for Sainz’s second goal of the game.
It was a match that showcased the best and the worst of Duffy, who provides a fantastic aerial presence and aggression to Norwich’s play out of possession, but who can also be guilty of coughing up the ball in dangerous areas and struggling against quick attackers.
Shane Duffy's performances this season
The 32-year-old colossus, who joined on a free transfer from Fulham in the summer of 2023, has started all 17 of the club’s Championship games this season, which speaks to how much Thorup trusts him to perform each week.
As was illustrated in the clash with Plymouth, Duffy has generally struggled to deal with forwards in challenges on the ground this season, losing 59% of his duels on the deck.
Whereas, his aerial duel success rate of 64% shows that he has, largely, dealt with crosses and long balls. This helps the Canaries to deal with set-pieces and with teams who boast tall or physically impressive centre-forwards, who could bully or dominate weaker centre-backs in the air.
Appearances
17
Goals
2
Pass accuracy
90%
Ground duel success rate
41%
Aerial duel success rate
64%
Duffy turns 33 in January and, given the direction the club is now heading in under Thorup and sporting director Ben Knapper, it would make sense for the coaching staff to have one eye on whom the next player to step into the right-sided centre-back role could be.
One man who stands out as an obvious candidate, after he came on to make his senior league debut for Norwich, is 20-year-old academy graduate Brad Hills.
The England U20 international had been an unused substitute on eight occasions in the Championship this season before his cameo on Tuesday, and the potential is there for him to develop into an upgrade on Duffy.
Why Brad Hills could be an upgrade on Shane Duffy
Whilst there is no urgent need for Norwich to replace the Irishman, or to fast-track Hills’ development, Thorup may have an idea on a timeline for the English titan, who is firmly in the pipeline to become a future star at Carrow Road.
After Hills put pen to paper on a new long-term contract in the summer, the Danish head coach predicted that the central defender will become a “regular starter” for the Canaries in the future.
The 20-year-old star spent the 2023/24 campaign on loan at Accrington Stanley in League Two and his form in his first season at senior level suggests that he has the attributes to succeed as Duffy’s eventual successor.
Upon his arrival on loan, Accrington manager John Coleman described him as the “pick of the bunch” from the Norwich academy, and he will surely have been delighted with the impact that Hills went on to have on the pitch, winning their Player of the Season award.
Duel success rate
65.6%
Top 15%
Aerial duel success rate
68.4%
Top 11%
Interceptions
1.79
Top 14.4%
Possession won final third
0.15
Top 14.4%
Recoveries
5.58
Top 18.6%
As you can see in the table above, the Norwich-born brute was a dominant force at the back for his side in League Two last term, ranking highly for his duel success rate, recoveries, and interceptions.
The rate at which he intercepted passes and won possession in the final third suggests that Hills could be well-suited to the role that Duffy has in this current Norwich side, as the youngster reads the game well and is aggressive in his play, pushing up to win the ball back for his team in advanced positions.
You also have to be comfortable on the ball to suit a Thorup team and Hills showcased his quality in possession, completing 91% of his attempted passes and winning ten of his 12 duels, in a 4-3 win over Stevenage in the League Cup earlier this season.
The Norwich academy graduate scored an unfortunate own goal towards the end of that match but his general play, with his reliable passing and dominant defensive work, was impressive.
Thorup could, now, look to slowly integrate him into Championship football, after his short cameo at left-back against Plymouth, with a view to him being the successor to Duffy in the future.
The potential, as shown by his statistics in the EFL Cup and in League Two for Accrington, is there for him to potentially be an upgrade on the Irishman, as he can be dominant in duels both on the floor and in the air due to his superior athleticism.
It is now down to Hills to take his opportunities when they come and to remain consistent with his performances, in order to push on and secure a spot in the starting XI.
