The Canaries’ specialist coach for set-pieces struggled to make an impact under Dean Smith early in the season. His brief stint as interim manager ended with David Wagner taking over permanently.
But when Sorensen executed Gabriel Sara’s corner into the near corner, it marked a breakthrough City had long anticipated since his appointment in 2022. Another well-executed play resulted in Tom Bradshaw’s own goal, putting Russell in contention for man of the match. Or so it seemed.
Onel Hernandez immediately sought out first-team coach Andy Hughes, who had stepped up with Wagner’s confirmation and was now at the heart of the players’ jubilant huddle.
Amidst the celebration, fans and journalists searched for signs of Russell, but he was nowhere to be found. Asked about his absence after the match, Wagner commented, “It’s not something I want to discuss right now.” Within a week, he was no longer with the team.
There was a definite irony to the fact that immediately after a designated set-piece coach had been replaced, the man filling in on top of his multiple other roles had coaxed two vital strikes from corners.
But as the following 14 months showed, that was down to the quality of Hughes rather than simply good humour on football’s part.
Norwich evolved from a side who’d struggled with set-pieces since Chris Hughton’s 2014 sacking to one known for being a threat from them, as well as a hard team to break down when defending them.
With players signed to thrive on set-pieces Hughes did the same, and his work went from semi-regular quirky routines to consistent and noticeable improvement. Every situation had a better plan, more structure and genuine belief from fans that it could amount to something, but there were still highlights along the way.
Shane Duffy’s bullet against Leeds, Jacob Sorensen’s glance into the Rotherham net and Kenny McLean’s sweep at QPR all contributed to a total 18 set-piece goals league goals scored last term, the third most in the Championship.
Perhaps it’s no coincidence that one of them came against Leicester, Sara’s near-post poke giving Norwich an unlikely lead at the King Power Stadium. New Foxes manager Steve Cooper is the driving force behind Hughes’ appointment, but his bosses will undoubtedly be reassured by that memory.
There was clearly a pattern there, and a good one from a yellow and green perspective. That’s why it’s bad news that Hughes has decided to move to the east midlands, even if it’s hard to begrudge him the switch.
He’ll enjoy a deserved step up to the Premier League, taking with him the expertise and experience that Wagner benefitted from before his exit in May. Sporting director Ben Knapper is suddenly tasked with replacing those 18 goals and plenty more.
The search will commence quickly, however, armed with the compensation he received for Hughes if needed. City are likely to look elsewhere when the deal is confirmed, as Knapper alluded to at Johannes Hoff Thorup’s official unveiling.
“If we get to that stage, then we need to have a conversation around how that looks for us moving forward,” he said. “I think it would be highly likely that we’d look to add something.”
That’s another task added to the lengthy to-do list, as if Knapper’s plate wasn’t already full enough. Someone will also have to take up the role he had at Arsenal, with Hughes’ loan expertise also set to leave the Lotus Training Centre.
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