It’s not often a football manager can take the positives from a comprehensive 3-0 home defeat, but then Norwich City’s Daniel Farke isn’t typical of today’s men in the dugout.
A breath of fresh air, even in the darkest days of relegation the season before last, Farke would sing the praises of his staff.
After being outplayed by Liverpool at Carrow Road for long periods on Saturday, the German was at it again, preferring to put an upbeat spin on the loss rather than laying into his players who, no doubt, were already feeling pretty awful after a poor showing.
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“It’s always a bit disappointing when you lose your first game but I have to take many positives,” he said in the aftermath, cited by the Liverpool ECHO.
“I know it sounds ridiculous, but after this game I’m even more confident than I was before. We had 14 shots against a world class side, so there were many positives.
“We played against one of the best sides in the world with world class players and a world class coach.
“Liverpool had key players available in pre-season, such as Salah, Mane, Matip and Van Dijk, whereas it was for us really tricky in the last few weeks.
“We had many players on the pitch and who came off the bench that didn’t have a proper pre-season.”
It’s refreshing to see such man-management in this day and age, where the pressures of the modern game are many.
Perhaps it also goes some way to explaining why the Canaries have kept faith with him despite their relegation.