The Alex Tettey effect at Norwich City is no coincidence, says the latest man to enjoy a midfield shift alongside the Norwegian – Mario Vrancic.
With Tom Trybull sidelined by back trouble, Vrancic stepped in and duly played a key role in the Canaries' wonderful winning goal at Bristol City notched by James Maddison – alongside a fourth clean sheet in five games.
City have dropped two points from Tettey's eight Championship starts this season, as well as holding Chelsea to a goalless draw in the FA Cup last weekend.
'It's crazy and you're right, I think we've only played one draw with him in the league and all the others we've been able to win,' beamed Vrancic. 'He's very important for us, especially in our defensive work. He closes a lot of gaps and he's an amazing player with a lot of experience. We're really happy we have him.
'I would not say it's worse to play with other players or next to him, but there must be a reason why Alex has achieved so many points. It's a funny fact, definitely. And I told him before the game it was a great pleasure for me to play next to him in the same position.'
Tettey is out of contract at the end of the season and has already admitted his six-year spell in Norfolk is likely to come to an end, although those inside Carrow Road may still harbour some hope of convincing the midfielder to sign one more deal to lead City's current transition. That is for the longer term. Much closer is Wednesday's replay at Premier League Chelsea – and don't expect Vrancic to be a rabbit in the Stamford Bridge floodlights.
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'I'm definitely excited about Chelsea, although I'm quite tired right now,' smiled the Bosnian former Bundesliga midfielder.
'Of course it's always special to play against one of the best clubs in the world. Definitely we have no pressure at Chelsea.
'My first game in Germany when I was 17 was at the Allianz Arena in Munich, and that was one of my best experiences in front on 70,000. That was one of the biggest, and then Signal Iduna park (Westfalenstadion) in Dortmund with more than 80,000.
'So all of us are looking forward to it. Of course the last game we did really well. For them it may be easier to play at home and for us, it was maybe easier for us to play at home. All we can do is give our best and see what happens.'
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