Johannes Hoff Thorup Plans Major Overhaul After Norwich’s Play-Off Hopes Collapse
Johannes Hoff Thorup is set to take a no-nonsense approach to reshaping his Norwich City squad this summer, following a disappointing 2-1 loss to bottom-of-the-table Plymouth that extinguished their slim Championship play-off hopes.
City’s defensive issues were once again laid bare as Plymouth’s Ryan Hardie capitalized with two quick goals, before Josh Sargent pulled one back with his 14th league strike of the campaign.
Thorup has already suggested a significant summer rebuild is on the cards, with a number of players approaching the end of their contracts and a clear need to restructure the squad.
“There will be some tough decisions made after this season—absolutely,” said the Dane. “We need to evolve as a team, get the right structure in place, and find players who fit that plan. That’s just the reality of this job.
“Our direction is clear. We want to play attacking football like we aimed to do against Plymouth. That’s the identity we want—creating chances, scoring goals, developing young, offensive players.”
Thorup was quick to point out that the pragmatic, defensive approach seen in the recent match against West Brom is not the long-term vision for the club.
“That kind of performance is something you might resort to occasionally for a result, but it’s not our philosophy,” he said. “Even in a mid-table season like this, we have the league’s top scorer and Sarge is just a few goals behind. That’s where our ambition lies: to produce attacking players who thrive here and then move on to the next stage of their careers.”
Defensive Frailties Remain a Frustration
While Thorup is encouraged by Norwich’s attacking output, their inability to defend consistently continues to frustrate him.
“It’s the same issue—we’re giving away soft goals,” he admitted. “If teams break us down with quality play, fine. But that’s not what’s happening. These goals are avoidable, coming from situations where we simply need to compete better.
“We’re rushing ahead to think about what to do next before dealing with the problem in front of us. That’s costing us.”
Thorup said they had prepared for Plymouth’s strategy, particularly their wide deliveries and set pieces, but the players failed to execute the basics.
“We talked about this before the match. Plymouth cross from everywhere, so we had to be ready to win the first, second, and third balls. Stay disciplined until the danger passes. But we didn’t stick to it.
“Just look at their first goal—it was chaotic. The second came from our own throw-in. It’s frustrating, and it’s got to change.”
