NOT QUITE WHAT WE EXPECTED
Some may think it is strange to say that Norwich City will shock the premier league in the upcoming 2021/2022 season based on their horrendous finish in the table last time they left off before being relegated. The Canaries’ fans were left in doubt once they discovered that Daniel Farke was going to start the season with Grant Hanley and let him lead the backline with three inexperienced young players in Max Aarons, Jamal Lewis, and Ben Godfrey. This resulted in the team suffering numerous defeats whilst other teams exploiting their weaknesses in defence which managed the club to concede 75 goals in the 2019/2020 season. However, despite the likes of individual players showing some promise it still was not enough and due to their embarrassing record in the season the club was relegated and sent back to the Championship.
THE COMEBACK SEASON
The Canaries this season have been outstanding showing an effortless performance. Their strong form and consistency under Farke have awarded them another Championship trophy with 29 wins, 10 draws and 6 losses, also scoring 75 and conceding 35 which is quite impressive as last the season they conceded 64. Some fans might say this is due to the likes of defenders Ben Gibson, Xavi, Quntilla and Dimitri Giannaloulis who have been exceptional for the team’s progression and defensive contributions this season. During the 2020/2021 season the team made 493 short passes per game whilst scoring 54 goals from open play as they like to keep possession of the ball, the Canaries like to play out from the back and then progress through the middle of the pitch; new additions Oliver Skip and Ben Gibson has helped this cause with their decent range and accuracy of passing which has also resulted in the team averaging 58% possession in the current season. According to WhoScored.com most of the action is coming from the middle third as they are good at creating chances through the middle of the pitch, although some may say this is predictable for other teams to guess what they are doing, the manager leaves them surprised as the fact that they like to progress through the middle of the pitch and are good at doing so. This also gives width and space to the likes of overlapping fullbacks such as Aarons who almost play as wingers to create chances from crosses which are why playing possession-based football is so effective for Norwich City. According to WhoScored.com the attacking sides of Norwich city operate from the left-hand side in 36% and 35% from the right-hand side. This means that they have a fair share balance of attacking areas in terms of creating chances which is a particularly good advantage when playing attacking football. Having that fluidity and variation of attacking areas on the pitch is crucial and was key to their improved season.
WHAT PLAYERS WILL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE
Emiliano Buendia
Probably one of the fans favourites, Emiliano Buendia has been crucial to their championship-winning season whilst winning the EFL Championship Player of the Year award. His contribution to the canaries this season has once again impressed football fans by making a big impact whilst scoring 15 goals and assisting 16. The Argentinian has many good attributes to his game such as his vision to find players ahead of him as well as his passing and dribbling. One of his key attributes that makes him stand out is that he likes to press. Buendia managed to lead the team in most tackles made per game with a statistic of 2.4 which is quite impressive for a player who plays high up the pitch. He will surely want to improve on his last season in the premier league so it will be interesting what season he will have in the upcoming season; however, it will be hard to keep him as there is speculation surrounding him as other clubs look to add to their attack.
Teemu Pukki
Arguably the best player Norwich City has had in the last decade, Pukki, has managed to score 66 goals in 120 appearances. In the last three years, he has made a massive impact at the club and been the one to depend on when the team needs goals. Players like Beaundia and Cantwell thrive whilst playing around Pukki as he is particularly good at holding the ball up, whilst also posing a threat to oppositions defence. This is due to his fast pace and ability to drift in behind the defence very quickly allowing creative players to play balls in behind for the striker. The Finland international has been consistent in the championship this season averaging 3.3 shots per game and putting up 26 goals. As opposed to last season in the premier league he finished 2019/2020 with only 11 goals and 3 assists, so it will be a challenge for him as he will want to tally up more goals, and show the world that he can be a top striker in the big divisions.
Todd Cantwell
Academy graduate Todd Cantwell has burst onto the scene at Norwich City quite comfortably making 18 appearances in a yellow shirt in his debut season. Since then, he has managed to be a first-team player and regular on the team sheet weekly and has shown promise as he is improving every season. In his premier league campaign, he surprisingly scored six whilst assisting two, opposed to the 2020/2021 campaign he has developed his game more as he scored six whilst assisting six with an improved statistic of key passes per game as he is now averaging 1.6 key passes opposed to last season in which he recorded 0.9. Cantwell has also shown to be more effective in front of goal. He managed to make an average of 2 shots per game in this season’s campaign as opposed to last season with 1.1 shots. It is going to be interesting to see how next season plans out for Cantwell as he is showing not just the manager but the fans that he wants to prove his worth to the team and his improvement and progression is evidently showing as he continues to get better.
Max Aarons
If the Canaries can hold on to Aarons next season, it should make a big difference to their upcoming 2021/2022 campaign. The Norwich right-back has been linked to the likes of Bayern Munich as he has shown much promise and has become one of the first names on the team sheet. Since making his debut in 2018 against Stevenage he has given Farke a reason to be selected as he is such an asset and threat going forward from the right-back position. Aarons likes to play as almost a winger when he gets forward as he likes to go one on one with defenders hoping to beat them and put in a cross for the attackers. Since his debut season, he has managed to improve on his attacking outlet with 1.4 key passes per game this season. Still noticeably young; you can say that he has loads of potential and will continue to improve however, would it be at Norwich City or elsewhere is something to think about.
Oliver Skipp
You can say Oliver Skipp has revolutionized Norwich City in relation to their style of play and how they keep possession of the ball this season as he is a crucial part of the team’s outlet in terms of playing out from the back as he likes to dictate play from the deep midfield position. He has impressed not just Norwich fans but also Tottenham hotspur fans, ass a loanee from Tottenham he has recorded 2.2 tackles, 1.1 interceptions whilst averaging 88% passing percentage per game. If that does not give both managers from both clubs to think about then I do not know what will. It will be an interesting summer for Skipp as he returns to his former club, he will be thinking about how he can continue playing regular football as during his spells at Tottenham he has not made many appearances. Surely the manager Farke, the owners of the club and the fans will love to see him perform in a yellow shirt again as they enter the new season, but it might be difficult to lure him off Spurs hands; however, it depends on both the club and the player’s current situation. If the club can keep him for another season that will surely make the biggest difference to their season otherwise, they will have to figure out a replacement which can be hard to find.
WHERE WILL NORWICH CITY FINISH NEXT SEASON
To come to an end, it will be interesting to see what is going to happen with Norwich City next season, Farke and the players will surely want to be proving something next season. Farke will want to prove to the board that he has what it takes to take the canaries to the next level and does not want to be remembered a Premier league flop. On the other hand, the players will want to improve on their last visit to the premier league as they will want to show that the team is stronger than what people think. Most importantly the fans will have an impact on this due to covid-19, the players and the fans have both been missing each other which will make a big difference to their upcoming campaign as the fans will be rooting for the team since they have not seen them in action for over a year and so will the players, as they owe it to the fans to put it great performances week in week out. The board will have a big summer as they will want to extend their stay in the premier league next season; the board and the scouts will surely be having deep thoughts about who to bring in next season in relation to their transfer activity, however based on their last performance in the premier league if the fans could predict where they will throw their money, it should most likely be in the midfield and defensive department as the backline has always been a liability especially since letting Godfrey go as he has been magnificent this season for Everton and could have been a great asset if he had stayed at the club but also keeping Oliver Skipp for another season could have a huge impact to their upcoming season too also . To make sure they extend their stay, Norwich City must bring in players that are hungry and are ready to make a difference. if Norwich City can bring in some quality signings in defence and midfield, I think they will have a good chance of staying in the premier league and I will be predicting them finishing in the bottom half of the table but still just avoiding relegation. I reckon a top half of the table finish will be difficult as the division is continuously improving every year but who knows what could happen as anything can happen in the game of football.