Daniel Farke has urged his Norwich side not to lose heart as they bid to improve their Premier League position.
The Canaries have lost four of their last five league matches and currently sit second from bottom, just two points above Watford, ahead of Saturday’s trip to Brighton.
Farke’s side picked up their first point away from Carrow Road this season in their last away match – also on the south coast against Bournemouth – and the German wants his players to take heart from recent displays and their early season form.
“Against Bournemouth we got our first away point and clean sheet and almost won the game. Even against (Manchester) United, while I wasn’t happy with the first half, in general we had chances to get points,” Farke said in a press conference reported by the club.
“We made several key mistakes, but we showed we can be competitive against one of the best sides in the world, as we showed against Manchester City and Liverpool.
“We can’t doubt ourselves. We have to be self-critical but believe in our principles.”
Farke has no complaints about the effort and commitment of his players and believes they are all focused on improving results.
“We want to gain points,” he added.
“We have to stick together. Our supporters know we face a tough time, but the players try everything.”
The Canaries’ two league wins have come at Carrow Road – a 3-1 win over Newcastle in August and a shock 3-2 victory over last season’s champions Manchester City in September – but they have struggled on the road.
Despite their lowly position in the table, Farke is not overly concerned at this stage of the season.
“We’re not addicted to looking at the table. We want to win games and let it take care of itself,” Farke said.
“That’s the approach we had last season and we had a brilliant finish.”
Farke has been handed a boost by the fitness of Tim Krul, who picked up a knock against Manchester United – a game in which he saved two penalties – but is ready to feature at the Amex Stadium.
Back-up goalkeeper Ralf Fahrmann is fit, having not played since September, but Onel Hernandez could miss the trip as his partner awaits the birth of their child.
Mario Vrancic will miss out through illness, while Todd Cantwell and Ibrahim Amadou are doubts for the game with hamstring and knee problems respectively.
