Norwich City goalkeeper Angus Gunn speaks to Michael Bailey following Championship defeat at Leeds on what comes next.
Perhaps defeat at Leeds can be forgiven – but there is no getting away from what it leaves Norwich City needing to do as the festive programme comes into view.
The Canaries performed well for the most part at Elland Road, but Pontus Jansson's header just before half-time was enough to earn the hosts all three points, and send City to a sixth defeat from nine Championship fixtures.
It's already brought Norwich's next four games into focus starting with Friday night's visit from Brentford before trips to relegation-threatened Birmingham and Burton, with 2018 kicking off as Millwall come to Carrow Road.
Three of those sides occupy the eight places below City in the Championship. Norwich's only option is to take advantage.
'I don't there's too much to put right ahead of Christmas,' said City goalkeeper Angus Gunn.
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'Obviously defending set plays is a big thing in the Championship and we need to focus on that for Friday, because teams will identify it as one of our weaknesses – and we need to make sure it becomes one of our strengths.
'We've got a busy Christmas. We wanted to come here to Leeds and get points, so we can't really look too much at the table.
'We want to pick up points wherever and whoever we play. We've got a home game next to take advantage of that and we need three points.'
Some of that pressure comes from the table itself.
Saturday's defeat to a Leeds side harbouring serious promotion ambitions underlined the distance Daniel Farke's side would need to travel to get anywhere near the same consideration.
Regardless of those lofty aims, few will feel City's current position in the Championship tallies with the quality at their disposal – and Gunn agrees.
'Definitely we should be higher up the table,' he said. 'But we're not and we need to finish our chances. We need to pick up points. Even if it had been one point here, that would have been great.
'But we have to make sure we don't keep slipping down the table and we need to put pressure on the people ahead of us.
'We're not going to throw our game in. We're a competitive side and this was a poor goal to concede. If we'd got to half time 0-0, I think we would have come out and probably got something from this game.'
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