Veteran forward Ashley Barnes has the most experience in the Norwich City attack, but even he was quick to praise the top talent in the Canaries squad.
American striker Josh Sargent is second on the Canaries roster with seven league goals this season, sitting five behind Jonathan Rowe for the team lead. After missing over four months through injury, Sargent has returned to his best in David Wagner’s squad this winter, scoring four of his seven goals since late-December.
The 23-year-old forward recently scored the winning goal in a February 3 win over Coventry City before also finding the back of the net in Saturday’s 2-2 road draw with QPR.
Barnes is in his first season with Norwich City after a lengthy career with Brighton & Hove Albion and Burnley, among other clubs. The 34-year-old has contributed three goals and three assists in 14 appearances, teaming up with both Sargent and Rowe in the Canaries attack.
Although Rowe leads the team in goals this campaign, Sargent received ample praise from Barnes for his impact since his return.
“Make no mistake about it, he is our best player without a shadow of a doubt,” Barnes said in an interview with the Eastern Daily Press. “He is the one that drives us and scores goals. I want to score goals, but as long as he’s scoring and I’m contributing to the play, then so be it. People will look at me and my goals, and it’s not good enough. I know that. I want to get better but I don’t care who scores if we win.”
Norwich City sits ninth in the EFL Championship table, two points out of the final promotion playoff spot with 15 matches to play. Sargent’s production since returning from his injury has been positive, but he will certainly need to bring more to the table if Norwich City wants to crack the top-six by season’s end.
Up next is a home date with Watford on Tuesday before final February matches against Cardiff City and Blackburn Rovers later this month.
I’m almost 100% there’s a spot for Haji Wright. Guy has scored goal in bunches the last two and half seasons and now he’s doing it as a wing, and with his physique you can absolutely move him to target man when we’re chasing a goal.
Sargent can also play wing but he’s been pretty meh there. He’s far better as a pure 9. I’m not sure that’s true with Haji. We also have more of a need at wing right now than CF.
So you’d think Haji is in as a winger, and we’d have to make a spot for Sargent by stealing a roster spot somewhere…but I do think it’s worth doing. We need guys who can score goals and we’ve had precious few of those, much less guys who can do it off the bench. I think even as the #3 striker he’d provide far more value than a fourth outside or center back.
Scored another goal today. He is on fire.
That is a fantastic compliment to Sargent. I challenge the SBI naysayers to turn this blue sky grey.
Wouldn’t he also say that if he played with Balo or Pepi?
Challenge accepted
He hasn’t scored for America in over 2 years. (Hat trick vs Cuba the inaugural Concacaf Nations League.) He’s been the unquestioned best CF (without having to score for America.) His club performance has never been the problem especially for US fans. Club form is important especially for players who aren’t in form when all the major tourneys are happening during the summer. European off season. Remember when he played for Bremen and a significant amount of people blamed the midfield every time he didn’t score, despite every midfielder transferring to better teams. When the Canaries were in the 1st division, we the fans blamed that midfield for Sarg not scoring. Even though that midfield moved to more competitive leagues than the 2nd division of England. Now that he’s been scoring no US fan has even mentioned how good the midfield has been the last 2 seasons, including Pefok’s ol teammate. He’s so good, he can play winger without having the skill set for it, nor the training. Sargent can do know wrong what so ever. If he’s pressing either fullback, and out of position as a CF, when the ball turns over and there’s no CF in the box, in front of goal, which is the CFs job, the coach will get blamed for it. When Sargent scores for the U.S. all will be forgotten, like the time he jumped and forgot both legs and injured himself in a WC. He’s been highly favored no matter how he performs. His hockey assist v Wales will be brought up as evidence to his excellence. The adoring at this point has been exhausting as my post. I’m in FLA, it’s been blue skies since the weekend so that means it will never rain. There’s no such thing as a grey cloud. No such thing as having a balance of being even keeled either. Just like every other US player who has scored for America; I will cheer, just don’t expect me be part of the cult because I’m a realist.
I mean to be fair Rashica is now on his 4th team in 4 years and hasn’t produced at any of them during that time (I know that’s technically the other wing). Gilmour has 4 assists in 72 EPL matches but three of those came this season. Cantwell, he’s got good hair is about all you can say.
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Both can be true, Sargent’s played with some duds (Cantwell and Rashica) and he hasn’t always made his own luck. He’s also had some untimely injuries.
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Sargent’s popularity generally fluctuates like a lot of USMNT players. When he hasn’t been chosen for awhile he’s the greatest forward we’ve ever produced. When he does get called Pefok, Wright, Pepi or Vazquez take that spot. With US fans the grass is always greener on the other side of the callup list.
This is Josh’s best form of his career a goal every 91 minutes.
JR,
“Cantwell, he’s got good hair is about all you can say.”
Give me a break. Next to Mix, Cantwell looks like a mop standing up.
It’s a damn shame Josh did not get to play with Mix. Then he could have credibly spoken about having played with good hair.
I’m amazed that many here don’t seem to remember just how wacko the Werder Bremen staff were with Josh, even though they played him a lot. It’s a testament to his talent and resiliency that he’s even playing at the level where he is at now and seemingly poised to get even better. Fullkrug also seems to have survived Werder Bremen.
V: Fullkrug missed most of 2.5 seasons with injuries, his final at Hannover and first year and a half at Bremen. He really took advantage of Bremen’s year in 2Bundesliga to get healthy and confident. Not many guys go 8 yrs from their final U20 callup to their first NT callup.
first off, this is championship soccer, not the EPL. i think this is a great move for him but it’s maybe MLS level if we’re taking something away from it all.
second, my general opinion of him is he’s a little soft and disappears when you need a target guy. we’re trying to find the 9 in the world cup and where is he. can’t find him, hasn’t scored in our shirt in years. he needs like inch perfect service that he doesn’t have to work a lot for. are we that precise? do we function with a hiding 9?
i think he’s an underrated technical guy and we should look at him and aaronson as swiss army attacking options off the bench. i’d like to see him wide more. one thing this team badly needs is someone who can drop a deadball or a cross where they mean to.
but as a 9? nah, we got better. he’s a gawky technical kid when we have pepi and balogun. i even prefer ferreira for technical ball because he’s more involved and productive. and if we’re gonna whack crosses in, vazquez.
i think he should be marginal for the 23 but on the basis of forgetting trying to make him into brian mcbride. we need some creative wing subs. we need someone who can come on for reyna and play his style.
IV,
“first off, this is championship soccer, not the EPL. ”
Was anyone saying that we were talking about the EPL?
“i think this is a great move for him but it’s maybe MLS level if we’re taking something away from it all.”
Meaning what? Have you got a problem with the level of competition where our guys are playing at? A USMNT eligible player being called the best player for their team is still rare enough that you spitting on that compliment is pretty condescending and also delusional.
If you’re going to look down your nose at Josh starting in the Championship, right now the USMNT has Antonee and , maybe Ream as regular starters at the EPL level. Chris Richards also but maybe only as an emergency measure. And of course, Trusty with the Blades, but since they are certainly going down, no one gives him any credit. Maybe Gio in the near future but that remains to be seen.
Pulisic, Weston, Josh, Wright, Ream, Robinson, Dest, Malik, Musah. LDLT, Richards, CCV, Trusty, Brooks, Maloney.
It’s not like the USMNT has an excess of guys being productive and getting as much playing time at decent competitive levels in Europe like Josh is doing.
“second, my general opinion of him is he’s a little soft and disappears when you need a target guy. we’re trying to find the 9 in the world cup and where is he. can’t find him, hasn’t scored in our shirt in years. he needs like inch perfect service that he doesn’t have to work a lot for. are we that precise? do we function with a hiding 9?”
?? The only games that I use to judge any of Gregg’s players, are the 4 World Cup games. In terms of legit 9’s you’ve got Pepi ,Pefok and maybe Vasquez but he needs to show more before he gets hailed as the new Raul Jimenez.. And none of those three were in Qatar.
“i think he’s an underrated technical guy and we should look at him and aaronson as swiss army attacking options off the bench. ”
Aaronson has not been playing well enough to merit inclusion into any national team since he moved to Leeds. Josh is not dynamic enough to be your “swiss army attacking option” off the bench. The only guy who can do that is Gio or maybe Malik.
“i’d like to see him wide more. one thing this team badly needs is someone who can drop a deadball or a cross where they mean to.”
Why? He’s not particularly noted for his deadballs or for his crosses.
“but as a 9? nah, we got better. he’s a gawky technical kid when we have pepi and balogun. i even prefer ferreira for technical ball because he’s more involved and productive. and if we’re gonna whack crosses in, vazquez.”
Ferreira is not a #9 and was useless at the World Cup when Gregg tried to cram him into the role. In fact, the three games Josh played in the World Cup the USMNT played well and were undefeated. Then Josh gets hurt and they put in Ferreira and the team goes to shit. Coincidence? NOT fucking likely
If you want to drop him in behind the strikers as more of a #10 or as a false 9 then that’s something else but the USMNT has better alternatives to Ferreira such as Gio or Malik.
“i think he should be marginal for the 23 but on the basis of forgetting trying to make him into brian mcbride. we need some creative wing subs. we need someone who can come on for reyna and play his style.”
?? That is what Malik is for. I doubt that any one, anywhere has ever compared Josh to Gio in terms of how they play or where they play.