The Canaries Are Starting To Take Flight Under New Manager Dean Smith

Norwich City have so far collected seven points from three matches in November
12:35, 30 Nov 2021

It was only a few weeks ago that Norwich City were branded as already relegated and many believed that not even a miracle would save them. Now, though, with the arrival of Dean Smith, the Canaries are starting to take flight.

In November, Norwich have so far collected an admirable seven points from three matches and their first win of the season, against Brentford at the start of the month, kick-started an upturn in form in what was ultimately Daniel Farke’s last game in charge. 

His successor is already starting to build on from what the German left behind and has already picked up four points in his first two games in the Carrow Road hot seat. The former Aston Villa boss has been a breath of fresh air in East Anglia and the instant impact he has had on such a fragile squad has started to instil hope among supporters. They are one of the most in-form sides in the division and that is a testament to the work Smith has done in such a short space of time.

Walking through the door only a few weeks ago, Smith knew that he needed to reunify the dressing room and have his players playing with belief again. He will have been aware what these players are capable of as he faced them when they were an unstoppable force in the Championship when he was managing Villa. 

The resources are certainly there for him to build something in the east of England. At his disposal he has players who he felt were good enough to take his former club to the next level. For example, it was reported that he wanted Todd Cantwell at Villa Park in the summer and once looked at Milot Rashica while he was playing for Werder Bremen. He will be hoping that these players can help steer away from the relegation trap door.

Norwich are currently just three points away from safety and with the transformation that has already occurred in such a short space of time, you can see them pushing out of the bottom three in the coming weeks. Tonight, they travel to St James’ Park to take on strugglers Newcastle United who are the only side in the top four tiers of English football yet to win a league game this season. 

It has been dubbed as this year’s first big relegation six-pointer and going off form, you would have to say the Canaries are the favourites. A victory would extend Norwich’s gap ahead of the Magpies to six points, and depending on how Leeds United fare in their match against Crystal Palace, they could be inside the relegation zone by virtue of goal difference alone. Should Norwich avoid defeat on Tyneside, they would go four top-flight matches unbeaten for the first time since February 2013.

It's tiny little details and runs like this that can mark a giant turning point in a club’s season and a positive result tonight could prove to be a gargantuan one for Norwich. Smith will be feeling particularly confident ahead of tonight’s clash as he is unbeaten in all five of his Premier League clashes against them and has already beaten them 2-0 this season with Villa. 

Another positive to take into this game is that Teemu Pukki has rediscovered his goalscoring touch in recent weeks, with a tally of four this campaign so far. And he has tormented Newcastle in the past by scoring a hat-trick against them at Carrow Road in 2019-20.  

There is an array of talent within the Norwich ranks, and it just took the right personality and coaching to unlock it. Time will tell if they are strong enough to remain in the top-flight next season, but one thing is for certain, Smith is the right man to keep them in the fight.

Norwich are 5/2 to stay up with Betfred*

*18+ | BeGambleAware

x
Suggested Searches:
The Sportsman
Manchester United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Premier League
Sportsman HQ
72-76 Cross St
Manchester M2 4JG
We will not ask you to provide any personal information when using The Sportsman website. You may see advertisement banners on the site, and if you choose to visit those websites, you will accept the terms and conditions and privacy policy applicable to those websites. The link below directs you to our Group Privacy Policy, and our Data Protection Officer can be contacted by email at: [email protected]

All original material is Copyright © 2019 by The Sportsman Communications Ltd.
Other material is copyright their respective owners.