It was a bitterly disappointing defeat at home to Southampton for the U21s last Friday. It meant they have won just once since the turn of the year. This result has dented the Canaries’ playoff qualification hopes, as they now sit in 18th place – two positions below the qualification places and with teams above them having games in hand. 

Saints arrived in fine form and with key personnel available to them. Two of those were highly regarded teenagers, Samuel Amo-Ameyaw (17), and Tyler Dibling (18), who both had a big influence on the game, with Dibling, in particular, being influential throughout. Both of these players have already made their professional debuts.  

However, despite Southampton being the superior team on the day, City started the game brightly, Up until the first Saints goal, they were sharp in possession and were combining intelligently. It?s worth noting that Ellis Craven?s distribution was fantastic across the whole game, giving Norwich a consistent foundation to generate attacks. 
But throughout the first half, Southampton had success in bypassing the Norwich midfield, with central progression becoming more and more apparent. This has been a major issue across both academy sides this season, with opposition flooding numbers into Norwich?s open midfield. 

This diagram represents Southampton?s willingness to overload bodies in the central areas – causing Norwich problems. The yellow line connecting the...