Rest Léo Scienza on Wednesday. Norwich away, Bolton at home and West Ham away all land inside the next 11 days, and the Brazilian has started every league game so far.
Scienza scored against Swansea on the 8th September, and FotMob rated his night 8.0. He has not scored since, and Eckert has taken him off at half-time at Wrexham and after 57 minutes against Portsmouth.
The Brazilian's form has not exactly fallen off a cliff, but his lack of desire to get back and defend against Portsmouth, with Ryan Manning exposed was unforgivable.
Scienza’s last four games
Minutes Played | FotMob Match Rating | |
|---|---|---|
Swansea (H), 8th Sept | 85 | 8.0 |
Bristol City (H), 12th Sept | 69 | 7.0 |
Wrexham (A), 19th Sept | 45 | 6.8 |
Portsmouth (H), 11th Oct | 57 | 6.8 |
Nothing in the derby suggests Leo Scienza is struggling to find good positions going forward, because Finn Azaz played him through early in the second half. With only Nicolas Schmid to beat, the keeper managed to push the shot over the bar.
The chances are still coming for Scienza. The finishing is not. Minutes are piling up, so a night off makes sense now, not later in November.
This site placed Scienza on the losing side of its derby winners and losers after he came off with a single effort on goal. The same site tied the substitution to Eckert’s shift to a defence-first approach once Cameron Bragg was sent off.
That explains the 57 minutes. It does not explain Wrexham, where Scienza was gone by the interval, and Southampton went on to lose tamely.
Edozie on the left at Carrow Road
Samuel Edozie is the obvious deputy. He replaced Scienza at half-time at Wrexham and finished that match with an assist.
He has played 98 league minutes all season, so nobody should pretend he is a match-ready replacement. However, Norwich have shipped 19 goals in nine league games, which makes Wednesday a decent place to give him more minutes.
Bolton arrive at St Mary’s on Saturday, and Scienza can return for that with fresh legs. West Ham away on the 24th October may need a different approach altogether.
Eckert said after the derby that he trusts every player in the squad and could have chosen any line-up on the day. A rested Scienza is a chance to prove it.
Scienza has 639 league minutes already, with two goals and two assists to show for them. That is a meagre return for a lot of running. Wednesday kicks off at 19:45 in Norfolk, Bolton follow three days later, and West Ham come a week after that.
The verdict: Edozie on the left at Norwich, Scienza back for Bolton, and a note to Eckert that the minutes are adding up.
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