It has been a tough season for Daniel Farke and his Norwich City as they have battled hard to stay up in their first season but can they take it to the wire and make the impossible possible by surviving, what many have said, a certain drop?
After gaining promotion last season with 94 points and being crowned champions many expected to push on and prove they have the capabilities to survive with comfort in the Premier League. However, fellow promotion pals Sheffield United have proved they are the side to defy the odds as they sit in 8th place but Norwich sit at the foot of the table and six points from safety.
At the start of the season, Norwich produced some fantastic displays with their free flowing football with wins against Newcastle United and Manchester City. However, despite impressive performances, especially against Chelsea and arguably Liverpool they failed to get any points on the board.
More importantly, they have not won many games against the sides around them. They have only beaten Bournemouth who are also in a relegation battle but this was in the middle of January. Norwich really need their striker Teemu Pukki firing again and on a regular basis especially against Southampton, Brighton and Watford in the next few fixtures as they are sides that Norwich need to be beating.
Failing to record back to back victories and gain some momentum has hurt the East Anglia side and left them reeling after many a defeat. The defensive fragility has been there for us all to see and sides have been able to exploit that. They have conceded more than three goals in one game six times this season and is certainly not what you expect from a side who are wanting to stay in the Premier League
However, recently they have been able to provide some more positive performances with clean sheets against Leicester City and Newcastle United. As well as keeping a clean sheet against Leicester they were able to pick up all three points in an unexpected win. With the need to build momentum, they need to challenge Sheffield United and grab victory if they are to close the gap.
Against Tottenham Hotspur, they were once again able to prove that they actually did have some resilience despite their wretched form and progress to round six of the FA Cup. Some may see the cup run as a distraction but Norwich can use this to their advantage and build on the fact that they have not lost in two games now.
It is going to be a real tough ask for Norwich and one that is possibly too far for them as despite picking up a much needed win over Leicester so did all of their relegation rivals. They may have left it too late to stay in the Premier League for another season and it looks likely a quick return to the Championship is on the horizon.
