Alex Neil highlighted ‘difficulty’ as Norwich boss in 2016, now Johannes Hoff Thorup is suffering from the same problem

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Norwich City have endured a very up-and-down Championship season with inconsistencies plaguing their campaign.

Currently sat 13th in England’s second tier, Norwich’s bright start to the season has since faded away after a number of disappointing results.

Injuries have hurt Norwich’s chances of promotion, and pressure is now mounting on Johannes Hoff Thorup, following their latest 5-3 defeat against Portsmouth – a game which perfectly summed up their struggles this campaign.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
11	SwanseaSwansea	43	16	9	18	46	51	-5	57
12	WatfordWatford	43	16	8	19	51	57	-6	56
13	NorwichNorwich	43	13	14	16	66	63	3	53
14	QPRQPR	43	13	14	16	51	56	-5	53
15	Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday	43	14	11	18	56	66	-10	53

The impressive form of Josh Sargent has helped the Canaries rack up the second-most goals in the Championship this season, their defence, meanwhile, has flattered to deceive, currently having the joint fifth-worst record in the league.

This worrying lack of balance isn’t unfamiliar to Norwich, however, with former manager Alex Neil highlighting the problem while in charge at Carrow Road back in 2016.

• READ MORE: Norwich City fans are comparing Johannes Hoff Thorup to Daniel Farke, but they need to stop

Alex Neil highlighted Norwich’s defensive issue

Neil, now at the helm of Millwall, will face off against his former Norwich side on Easter Monday.

Having spent two years in charge of the Canaries, the Scotsman will be very familiar with how Norwich work and could potentially take advantage of an issue he also suffered with at Carrow Road.

Speaking in 2016, while in charge of Norwich in the Premier League, Neil highlighted his side’s lack of attacking and defensive balance, something which has also plagued Hoff Thorup’s men this season.

“It’s just about trying to get the balance right between attack and defence,” Neil told the Norwich website.

“Our attacking play was good at the weekend, but defensively we didn’t do well enough and we want to address that as best as we can.

“That’s the difficulty you’ve got at this level. Most times in the Championship we were normally the dominant team, so going forward was enough.

“At this level, you’ve got to make sure you have that attacking threat but you also keep the back door shut. It’s much easier said than done.”

Lack of balance could cost Johannes Hoff Thorup his job

Despite their bright start to the season, Hoff Thorup has suffered heavy criticism in recent weeks as Norwich continue to drop points from winning positions.

So with promotion now off the cards, the Canaries boss may have to be slightly wary heading into next season.

Norwich have had no problem finding the back of the net this season, with the likes of Sargent and Borja Sainz playing a huge role in their attacking success.

But with the likes of Sainz potentially departing Carrow Road, Norwich’s free-flowing attack may take a big step back next season.

If the Canaries fail to replicate their attacking heroics next campaign, while maintaining the same defensive issues, Hoff Thorup’s job could potentially be in danger.