Norwich City 1-2 Middlesbrough: Analysis of Ante Crnac

His outing in the Canaries’ 2-1 defeat to Middlesbrough on Saturday continued a run of underwhelming displays to kickstart the 2025/26 campaign for the 21-year-old, with Norwich yet to discover top gear as a side under Liam Manning. 

It still feels as though the quest to unlock Crnac’s best position is ongoing. It may be one that rumbles on throughout the campaign as Manning utilises different systems and a blend of attacking profiles. 

Ben Knapper couldn’t be clearer in his assessment of the Croatian at last year’s AGM and again in press touchpoints in March – he sees him as a number nine. 

The fact that both head coaches he has appointed, Johannes Hoff Thorup and now Liam Manning, feel he is best suited off the right adds to that uncertainty within the fanbase as to where he is best utilised.

City’s current system has him as the number 10 on that side. That is where he has started the opening three games of the new Championship campaign. 

This is what Crnac himself had to say on his best position after City’s final friendly win over NAC Breda: “He told me that he sees me at that ‘number 10’, left or right. That’s the role that I’ve played most of my life. I like it, especially when you get to play with a striker like Josh (Sargent).”

In the opening three games, Crnac has struggled to make his mark in a position that is proving difficult to grasp within Manning’s wider three-at-the-back system. 

Part of the criticism will come from the sizeable price tag that brought him to Carrow Road. The £8.5m represented a significant outlay for the Canaries and, unfair or otherwise, has weighed heavily on his shoulders. 

That is nothing to do with Crnac. That was the figure agreed between the two clubs. But it creates an expectation that progress and goals will come.

Ante Crnac has struggled to find his rhythm in Norwich City’s opening three Championship games. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd) Crnac has shown flashes in a first year that contained testing moments and positional changes, all on top of an adaptation process that can be testing by its nature. Only two players, Eliezer Mayenda and Mihailo Ivanovic, netted more goals at a younger age than the 21-year-old. It was productive without being exemplary. 

Josh Sargent has proven the value in patience and space when it comes to providing time for an attacking player to find their feet. The hope is that Crnac can go on a similar journey during his time in Norfolk. 

That long-term picture is still very attainable for Crnac. But it doesn’t negate the need for short-term impact, especially considering a sluggish start to the season for him. It cannot just be a conversation that exists constantly about delivering in the future. 

Saturday’s defeat against Middlesbrough was another under-par afternoon for the attacker. It led to Manning hinting at his frustration with Crnac’s contribution in his post-match media. 

No City player was dispossessed more than the Croatian during the clash at Carrow Road. He lost possession on 10 occasions. That carelessness in possession added to the frustration around their collective display. 

Crnac had just a single touch in the penalty area and the one opportunity he did fashion involved taking too long over getting a shot away. It continues a wider picture since the start of the season, which means he is yet to register a single shot on target in three games. 

Ante Crnac is yet to record a shot on target in the opening three matches. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd) That ability to exist on the periphery of matches has become too constant. Given Norwich’s level of depth and with Mathias Kvistgaarden waiting in the wings, Crnac will need to up his performance levels if he wants to remain a staple of Manning’s side.

Manning was also unimpressed by his commitment to their pressing cause in the first half and didn’t get the desired reaction after the break, prompting Crnac to be replaced by Oscar Schwartau in the 67th minute. 

But his struggles are part of a broader focus on a system that is proving challenging to grasp for those behind Sargent – not just Crnac. See also the experienced Emi Marcondes. Behind the American, those two had the fewest touches of anyone in yellow and green. 

That speaks to the wider problem about getting those behind Sargent more involved in matches to help ease the burden on him. It is resulting in more direct and difficult passes into City’s number nine, who is left to try and control with different parts of his anatomy. 

Manning has made that point about his squad on a wider basis. He is feeding them with different information and is trying to break the wiring that Johannes Hoff Thorup established. By virtue of that process, time and patience need to be afforded. 

Ante Crnac is searching for a year of progress at Carrow Road. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd) Crnac will need to be part of the solution – but that must come with him taking some initiative, as well as examining or bemoaning a wider structure. 

Nobody would dispute that there is plenty of talent, but the key objective this season is to convert that into something more consistent. It needs to be a year of progress from potential to Championship efficiency. 

It isn’t just Crnac’s own development but also City’s progress that is contingent on those additions from 12 months ago stepping forward. 

He has time on his side and plenty of internal support – but that Crnac conundrum is still proving a difficult nut to crack for the Canaries. The hope is that, as the season grows older, he will uncover his best spot. 

VERDICT: Difficult afternoon for the Croatian and another sluggish display at the start of this Championship campaign. 

RATING: 5 out of 10