Norwich City have had three of their players called up to their respective nations for the upcoming international break later this month.
Canaries striker Teemu Pukki has earned himself a call-up to the Finland national team once again, as they will Liechtenstein and Greece in the UEFA EURO 2020 qualifiers.
Northern Ireland duo Jamal Lewis and goalkeeper Michael McGovern have also been selected, with their nation set to play two of the game’s giants in the Netherlands and Germany.
The break they need
The international break could come at the right time for Daniel Farke’s men if they fail to beat rock-bottom Watford on Friday. The Canaries have not won a single game in the league since they beat Manchester City 3-1 in September at Carrow Road (Sky Sports).
Out of the six games that they have played since then, Farke’s side have drawn one against Bournemouth, but have lost all the other games in the Premier League.
In these last six games, they have conceded as many as 14 goals and they have only scored two during this time. That is why the international break will do a lot of good to the players, who could go into their international games and get their form back on track and come back as fresh characters.
TIF Tactics
Pukki has failed to get onto the scoresheet since he scored one and assisted one in the win over City. He did though, score twice in two games in Finland’s two international games last month. He picked up a brace against Armenia in a 3-0 win.
But Finland would know the qualities Pukki brings to the plate, despite his poor form for Norwich. Considering how he scored in the last game for them, there will be a degree of certainty that the former Schalke man will do a good job for them.
As far as Lewis and McGovern go, the defender has probably been the best defender this season. Despite their struggles at the back, Lewis has been rated as the club’s seventh-best player by Whoscored. That is a higher rating than any other defender in the side.
McGovern, on the other hand, will get some vital first-team action, should he play for Northern Ireland. He has played only twice in the Premier League this season and playing regularly for the national team will keep him on his toes, although adding to those appearances might be difficult with the likes of Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Trevor Carson also being involved (BBC).