Thorup Expresses Disappointment with Norwich Performance, Cites Red Card as Key Factor

Norwich City head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup voiced his displeasure with his team’s display, particularly during the second half of their 2-1 loss against Sunderland. Speaking to BBC Radio Norfolk, Thorup stated: “I am not satisfied with the second half. One thing is the goal, we conceded after a set piece, that can happen, but I’m not happy with the 20 minutes after that when we were not solid enough, not consistent enough, too hectic and take silly decisions.” The Norwich manager also criticized Jose Cordoba for his dismissal, which occurred after receiving a second yellow card in the 70th minute. Regarding Cordoba’s actions, Thorup commented: “Jose needs to be more clever in that moment,” adding that the sending-off was “a big factor of the game because it’s not bad for us to be 1-1 after 65 minutes, that’s an ok result in a difficult place to go. We were threatening on the counter. That was not good enough and of course changed the game for us and for them.” He further elaborated on the impact of the red card, stating: “The red card changes a lot, we had to make changes and change the formation and system and everything becomes more open.” Thorup concluded by emphasizing the need for players to avoid such situations: “You have to stay away from that challenge, you cannot give the ref the option (to send you off). We could all see he was just waiting for that moment.” He added: “You have to be more experienced and professional than that so you don’t give him the option. Unfortunately it changed the game too much for us.”