Norwich City will not be found wanting ahead of Championship kick-off
Norwich manager Neil Adams is leaving nothing to chance in pre-season. Picture by Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd - Credit: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd
Neil Adams is leaving no stone unturned in his pre-season preparations to ensure Norwich City hit the ground running back in the Championship.
Adams took the Canaries' first team squad to the FA's national football centre last week and the City boss has personally vetted their Italian training base for a three-game tour later this month.
Norwich fly out to northern Italy on July 19 for a week-long trip designed to put the finishing touches to their plans for the Championship opener at Wolves on August 10.
City make their seasonal re-appearance at non league neighbours Dereham this Saturday before travelling to Conference Premier Braintree three days later.
'Most of them will get a game at Dereham. We have Wes (Hoolahan) and Pilks (Anthony Pilkington) to come back yet and Leroy (Fer) is still heavily involved with Holland but most will get a run out in the Dereham and Braintree games,' he said. 'I've been out to Italy to have a look at the facilities as well and primarily at this stage it is about getting that good level of fitness. We did triple sessions (at St George's Park) and the players have been fantastic.
'On a training camp like that, where you're away from what you're used to, you get to know the players' strengths and weaknesses and you get to know their character. In the hard sessions you've seen every one of them gritting their teeth, getting on with it and getting it done.'
City were in good company at Burton with Romanian champions Steaua Bucharest also using the world-class facilities and Spanish giants Barcelona poised to visit later this month.
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'It is a little bit remote, it is in the middle of nowhere but probably coaches would tell you that is a good thing. They have to work, there is nowhere to go,' said Adams to the club's official site. 'Right now it is the fitness side of things. We're doing some possession work but we'll look more at the tactical side and the shape and how we are going to play in due course. On day one I said the very minimum I expect is high-intensity. That has to be a given in the modern game, the players have to be at it and then you can take mistakes and tolerate mistakes and you can work on it, but what you can't tolerate is 80pc work.'
