Norwich City: A Team in Need of Answers
Forgive me for not writing a single piece since November. I never thought I’d go this long without posting and I’m equally surprised that it took a global pandemic to get me back on track.
That being said, I thought I’d start a daily series that will span the next 20 days in which I cover a different Premier League team each day. I’m not quite sure where this will go, but I hope it goes somewhere as the sports world has ground to a halt for the foreseeable future.
Football London
Norwich City has to be one of the league’s most exciting sides but you have to catch them on a good day to see what I’m talking about. A 3-2 win against Manchester City in September has been forgotten amid the club’s inconsistent showings since then as they’ve only managed to win three premier league games since their shocking victory over the defending champions.
Right now, Norwich is dead last in the Premier League with 21 points on the season. With a current goal differential of -27, the club is 61 points behind league-leading Liverpool. That being said, escape from relegation isn’t quite a longshot. Relegation safety is only six points away as Watford sit at 17th with 27 points.
Enough of the numbers. Norwich City is a team with an abundance of promising young talent. The midfield duo of Todd Cantwell and Emiliano Buendia have been standouts in the squad this season as Buenida is magnificent on the ball as he leads the club in assists with his tally currently at seven. On the other hand, Cantwell is the club’s second-leading scorer with six goals on the season.
Rousing the Kop
But both players are much more than statistical superior to their teammates. Both players are always making things happen in the midfield and despite the club’s form, Cantwell is an exceptional player whos featured on the left-hand side for Norwich for the past six fixtures. Personally, I’d love to see Cantwell in the center of the pitch but with a squad lacking attacking threats, I get manager, Daniel Farke’s, reasoning.
So what is Norwich’s problem? It’s a rather simple one. They don’t have enough players on the score sheet. The once red hot Teemu Pukki leads the team with 11 Premier League goals and Cantwell has tallied six thus far this season. The combination of Pukki and Cantwell outscore the rest of the team in goal scoring 17-7. With little to no contributions outside of those from Pukki and Cantwell, there is a clear and obvious reason Norwich is dead last in the Premier League and destined for a quick return to the Championship.
The manager needs to take this pause in the Premier League play and relentlessly pursue alternative approaches. He needs to figure out how to get more players involved and scoring goals. As the league is currently scheduled to return on April 30th, he has a lot of time on his hands.
If drastic measures aren’t taken, Norwich will be relegated and a handful of the clubs promising youngsters will probably hand in transfer requests to keep their tenures in the Premier League alive and well. The likes of Cantwell, Buendia, and Max Aarons are the ones that come to mind for me.
I would hate to see Norwich bow out of the Prem and there is a real chance they stay afloat. Don’t forget that this is a squad that is still alive and well in the FA Cup as the club traveled to London and beat Tottenham Hotspur in penalties which saw them advance to the quarterfinals as they await their clash with Manchester United.
Whether we see Norwich City in the Premier League next season remains to be seen. If we are to see them, they’re going to need to change their approach to get more players contributing i.e. scoring goals. The team cannot rely on certain players for goals and it will be interesting to see who steps up.
