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Daniel Farke addresses the media ahead of Norwich City v Birmingham City. Updates to come from 1.45pm.
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DF: You could see the studs of his opponent all over Oliver's quad. Nothing too serious. He's back on the training pitch and available for tomorrow.

DF: I don't think it's classy to speak about bad intentions of an opponent. I can understand on the pitch there is a rush of blood. You have to be there where it's painful sometimes. We have to make sure we don't risk the health of the opponent, so there is still a line.

DF: It looked dangerous because it was a tackle full of speed. Thank God nothing has happened. It's important to learn from it.

DF: It's a quick turnaround but just the first week with this load, so it will be different in two weeks. I don't think it's necessary to rotate too much at this stage of the season.

DF: We'll have a light session this afternoon and speak with everyone about how they feel as well as our physios and sports scientists.

DF: Sadly, Christoph is not available. The plan was to bring him into team training on Sunday, so a negative surprise. The new plan is to bring him back on Wednesday so he's available for the Wycombe game.

DF: Good news with Todd. He had a knock on his knee in the Thursday session and wasn't right 100%. Yesterday, he was back on the training pitch and able to handle the load. It seems he's available and he hasn't missed that much.

DF: When you want to lead a group of players you lead a group of human beings. You can't just concentrate on one player, so you have levels and standards you don't drop for anyone. It's important to be honest with them and sometimes communicate more or less with them. At some points, I've had to leave Todd alone. It's part of growing up as a personality.

DF: The way is not always up. Todd was praised a lot which was fully deserved, so this was the first time there was a set-back, but they are important. In the bigger picture, it's important for his development. It wasn't easy for him.

DF: You have agents, families and friends in the background who put expectations on players. I felt it was the right time to have a conversation and we are still close. It's a process and now he has to work and show consistency to gain his momentum back.

DF: Todd is flexible, which is one of his strengths. He has to be in positions where he can affect our game. He's not a winger who runs to the corner flag and crosses. Even on the wing, he comes into the pocket and plays like a false number ten.

DF: It depends on the opponent. Sometimes it's easier to come inside from the wing surprisingly. Messi or Ronaldo never play their best games in number ten, but when they come inside from the wing. Don't get me wrong, Todd isn't on that level but can fulfil the same role.

DF: If I judge our performances, we're first in possession in the league and passing accuracy. It says a lot about our game. We are really good already so what we have to improve is our effectiveness.

DF: I'd prefer to be in the lead so the opponent opens a bit and we can use our quality to bury the game earlier.

DF: We allowed a few too many chances to Rotherham. Overall, five conceded goals in five games isn't too bad but we always want to be perfect in controlling the counter-attacks better.

DF: Birmingham could choose to press us high and surprise us. I'm full of respect for Aitor. He's experienced on this level and his teams are difficult to beat. They have one of the most experienced lineups in the league.

DF: These lads know what is important to win points in the Championship because they all have so much experience in so many battles.

DF: It will be important to find some solutions in order to open them and create chances.

DF: I value what we did at Rotherham. You could feel that they were confidence after promotion and had a six-week pre-season. None of their players were away on international duty and they had a perfect start, so to turn the game was a massive win for us. I don't agree with some judgment that it was 'just Rotherham'. It was a difficult game.

DF: When we won the Championship, we had one goal wins and late draws - grinding out results is important. These moments are valuable, so that's why we were delighted with the win. I expect another tight and close game, hopefully with another good ending for us.

DF: Adam has had some experience in the role of a second striker. It's different when you start in that role compared to coming on. He gave away an unneccesary penalty but I was delighted with his reaction.

DF: He's a different type of player to Onel or Przemyslaw who like to dribble and put in crosses. It's always good to have different options. Overall, I was pleased with Adam's performance in his first starting lineup appearance in the Championship.

DF: For me, it's important every player has freedom to express themselves, but it's a fine balance. It's important to give clear tasks, especially against the ball. But he's free to choose what options are right in the moment. You can't shout for every pass from the sidelines, or the players lose the ability to judge in their own way.

DF: What was right two years ago doesn't have to be the right answer in this situation now. At the beginning of the season, it's important not to rotate too much and allow players to come into their rhythm.

DF: The more you are successful, the more you can rotate. We have to have in mind the short summer break and pre-season, plus 46 league games and cup competitions within less time than two years ago. It will be important to rotate more to keep everyone fresh.

DF: Pukki was a player no-one knew two years ago, or how we played Buendia. Now, because we played a few weeks ago in the Premier League, Norwich are the team to beat and everyone is aware of the threats. That's why we have to be flexible and have different styles.

DF: To doubt Teemu's value to us would be crazy. He's played more games than anyone else in English football in the last two years and scored close to 40 goals.

DF: More or less all alone, he brought Finland to the Euros. He nearly scored double figures in the Premier League in a struggling side. He won us the game at Huddersfield this season with the assist for Adam. He won the point against Preston with the equaliser.

DF: My task right now is to keep him fresh. He will play for his country because he's a super star there.

DF: I trust Jordan, Teemu and Adam to make sure that in the end we finish in the top position. We need Teemu like air to breath.

DF: Jordan is also one of the best strikers in the league. If the best strikers are all playing together, it's a place to love! He's a proven goalscorer and has improved year to year.

DF: They know that I don't expect one of them to win the Golden Boot because we have three top-class strikers. It's important they work together as a special squad to get at least 35 goals between them.

DF: The pressure is away from Jordan's shoulders, but of course he's greedy to score. I was a striker and I love to have them on the pitch. Liverpool always have just one central striker, as did Man City before (although sometimes they play without!) It's the same with Bayern or Barcelona, so we can't play all three together.

DF: They feel like mates who work together. Everyone is happy if the other guy scores, so I think they're in such a good mood and Jordan is a top-class bloke.

DF: It was great scenes! There's no replacement for wins and we'd prefer to be in the lead, but for the team bonding, nothing compares to winning points with late goals.

DF: We all remember Millwall 4-3 and 3-3 against Nottingham Forest, or 2-2 against Sheffield Wednesday. When you see the celebrations like Tim Krul being upfront, it says a lot about the team spirit.

DF: Everyone would have been delighted with a hard-fought away win two years ago, whereas now everyone judges that we should have blown the opponent away. The lads know the expectations are high and we have to create a spirit of us against the world.

DF: To develop team spirit and togetherness at this early stage is encouraging. It's not a guarantee we will be successful but definitely a good sign. Hopefully we can go on with this spirit.

DF: You feel more comfortable at home as you don't have to travel, but all the statistics say the home advantage isn't there without fans. Right now, it's not a big difference if we play Birmingham home or away. They know Carrow Road well, but we're all looking forward to having supporters back, even for the spicy atmospheres in the away games when everyone is against the yellow wall in the away end.

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That's all from the boss this afternoon. Thank-you for following today's live blog!

Posted By: DrDublin on October 19th 2020 at 14:32:44

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