Premier League preview: Avoiding the drop first priority for frugal Norwich
Having suffered relegation immediately after its promotion to the Premier League last time round, Norwich City's primary aim is to avoid the drop on its return to the top flight.
Published : Aug 08, 2019 22:42 IST
After three seasons in the Championship, the second tier of English football, following its relegation from the Premier League at the end of the 2015-16 season, Norwich City is back in the English top-fight.
Having suffered relegation immediately after its promotion to the English top flight last time round, the club’s primary aim is to avoid the drop on its return to the Premier League.
The Canaries finished 14th in the Championship in 2017-18, the first season under its German manager Daniel Farke, and was only tipped for a mid-table finish last season. The club instead ended up gaining promotion by winning the Championship with 94 points.
Norwich scored the most goals last season and it was the single biggest factor in its victorious, promotion-securing campaign.
Transfer activity
Norwich has been frugal in the transfer market, spending only £3.75million on new recruits.
Two of its marquee signings are Ralf Fahrmann, who might take over from Tim Krul as the first-choice goalkeeper this season, and Patrick Roberts, both signed on loan from Schalke and Manchester City respectively.
Right-back Sam Byram secured a transfer from West Ham United and is the club’s most-expensive signing, having put pen to paper on a four-year contract worth £747k.
Players to watch out for
Teemu Pukki The 29-year-old Finland international won the Championship golden boot for scoring 29 goals last season. Pukki said in a recent interview that he didn’t expect to score the number of goals he did. It’s also unlikely that he will score as many against Premier League opposition, but he’s Norwich’s main goal-scorer and is a creative force too, evidenced by his 10 assists in the Championship last season.
Emiliano Buendia
Norwich signed Buendia ahead of the 2018-19 season and he finished the campaign with eight goals and a dozen assists in the Championship. A player who can play on the flanks and in the hole behind the striker, Buendia is a key component of Norwich’s attack.
Season expectations
The priority for Norwich, as is the case for most of the promoted clubs, is to avoid relegation. While the attacking stats from the Championship-winning season make for good reading, Norwich had the eighth-best defensive record in the division, conceding 57 goals. Manager Farke must shore up the defence to give Norwich the best chance of avoiding the drop.
Norwich City's transfer activity
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Premier League fixtures
August
9 -Liverpool v Norwich
17 - Norwich v Newcastle
24 - Norwich v Chelsea
31 - West Ham v Norwich
September
14 - Norwich v Manchester City
21 - Burnley v Norwich
28 - Crystal Palace v Norwich
October
5 - Norwich v Aston Villa
19 - Bournemouth v Norwich
26 - Norwich v Manchester United
November
2 - Brighton v Norwich
9 - Norwich v Watford
23 - Everton v Norwich
30 - Norwich v Arsenal
December
4 - Southampton v Norwich
7 - Norwich v Sheffield United
14 - Leicester v Norwich
21 - Norwich v Wolves
26 - Aston Villa v Norwich
28 - Norwich v Tottenham
January
1 - Norwich v Crystal Palace
11 - Manchester United v Norwich
18 - Norwich v Bournemouth
22 - Tottenham v Norwich
February
1 - Newcastle v Norwich
8 - Norwich v Liverpool
22 - Wolves v Norwich
29 - Norwich v Leicester
March
7 - Sheffield United v Norwich
14 - Norwich v Southampton
21 - Norwich v Everton
April
4 - Arsenal v Norwich
11 - Norwich v Brighton
18 - Watford v Norwich
25 - Norwich v West Ham
May
2 - Chelsea v Norwich
9 - Norwich v Burnley
17 - Manchester City v Norwich