Daniel Farke: We have to go through this together

“It was clear that there would be difficult periods during this season,” he said. “To be competitive at this level is so difficult for us, especially with such a harsh injury situation. We have to stick together and show great commitment and desire.

“The players didn’t let me down today, they tried everything and gave their heart. We just weren’t effective enough in using our chances. Carrow Road will be a fortress again next week. We have to go through this difficult time together.”

Farke added that, despite the lengthy injury list City begrudgingly possesses, it’s situations within games that are proving pivotal in determining results.

“Small details always make the difference. Our injury situation is difficult and this game made it even worse, but I’ve had to speak so much about injuries in recent weeks that I’m not willing to anymore. I’d rather speak about the situations that cost us the game today and of course we are disappointed.

“There were some crucial periods in the game. We had to stand strong in the first 15 minutes and not allow them to have many chances. There was no need to concede the penalty because the striker was facing away from our goal. We have to be a bit more calm.”

“We have to be more switched on about when to tackle. As a newly promoted side with so many problems you can’t expect to be always on the front foot and dominate each and every period of the game. When you have shooting positions from 12 yards out, you need to score. We work hard in training, but this is a learning curve, especially for the young lads.”

“We were playing away and on the road in front of a home crowd so it’s difficult. We had a good period before half-time but were not clinical enough. I wish we had been a bit more clinical in finishing situations. When you’re behind, you have to be brutal with your finishing. If we had equalised, there would have been a big chance to turn the game around completely. We can be the better side, but small details were crucial today, so we have to accept the loss.”

Despite admitting that he didn’t want to discuss injuries, Farke did have updates on the fitness of the squad following the defeat.

“Ralf Fahrmann felt something after his first contact with the ball. He saved a cross and felt the pain again and had to come off. It’s not easy when two of your goalkeepers are injured and you have to make a change early in the game, but Michael McGovern was concentrated and focused. I’m a bit more concerned about Jamal Lewis because he fell on his elbow and that could be a major injury. Ben Godfrey got cut and was bleeding a lot, but nothing more.

“Max Aarons was solid. It was important for him to have these minutes and to be back. I was pleased with him. It’s the first piece of good news in several weeks that he is back. We need the quality and experience of everyone as quick as possible.”