Coventry City manager Tony Mowbray is expecting a tough test for his players from the game at Norwich City tonight.
Speaking about the game which is part of the James Maddison transfer, but due to costs and other problems, is being played at Carrow Road rather than at Ricoh Arena which hosted Norwich City for a pre-season game on July 30th 2011, Mowbray said to the Coventry Telegraph: “Yes, I suppose we could get a tanking, but let’s go and test ourselves and if we do we’ll learn a few lessons and move on because we won’t play teams as good as Norwich in League One.”
“What I think it is is a test of how we’re asking the team to play against a team that will, not disrespect us but won’t be concerned or worried about us.
“They will come for us and push on to us with their athleticism, size and strength. They’ll try to swamp us, I think, and we have to see if we’re good enough to play around that, over that or through that. Let’s wait and see.
“Norwich were playing in the Premier League last season and they’re a very experienced bunch of footballers. I managed some of them – Graham Dorrans, Youssouf Mulumbu, players like that, so I know how talented they are.
“They have good footballers; Ricky van Wolfswinkel cost £8-£10million, Steven Naismith coast £8m, Jacob and Josh Murphy are players that can make the difference so we know it’s a tough game.
“And James Maddison of course – the fact that they can take one of our more talented players and put him in their squad shows the gap at the moment between Norwich and Coventry City.
“It will be a tough test for us, especially with a team who are where they are at the moment but we have to go there and try to give them a good game.
“But I wouldn’t worry. Cian Harries and Darrah Leahy playing against Cameron Jerome, even Maddison who is a bit further on than young Darragh who was playing in the FA Youth Cup team last year.
"I don’t think we’ll have the ball as much as we did at Newport, don’t think we’ll be able to dominate the tempo of the game so it will be a different test."
More on this - http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/sport/football/football-news/yes-suppose-could-tanking-tough-11662498