Bet £10, Get £10 - BETDAQ

Norwich red-hot favourites for relegation

What goes up must go down, and that’s what always seems to happen to Norwich City. The Canaries were promoted from the Championship last season but are now red-hot favourites to again get relegated.

Their last three seasons played in the Premier League have all ended in them going down. 18th, 19th and 20th are not inspiring figures for the Norfolk side. It seems their fans only enjoy years that end in an odd number.

2015, 2019 and 2021 have seen them win promotions to the Premier League. 2014, 2016 and 2020 have all seen the tears flowing after relegation. Will 2022 break that trend? If you enjoy football betting, you might like to read on.

Their last time in the Premier League was the 2019/20 season, and, to be fair, it was a bit of a disaster. Norwich finished bottom of the table 13 points adrift. Just five league games were won all season, with 26 goals scored and 75 conceded.

Amazingly, one of those was a home win over Manchester City. That total of goals was three less than Teemu Pukki had scored when they won the Championship in 2018/19. Eleven came in five games, so that was 15 in the other 33.

The Canaries were in record-breaking form that season. However, they became the first side ever to be relegated from the Premier League on five occasions. It’s going to take a lot of hard work for them not to extend that to six.

The major problem Norwich had in that 2019/20 season was their away form. Just six points from 19 games and only seven goals scored. Their previous time in the Premier League was the 2015/16 season, and, on that occasion, they only won on the road three times. That’s four wins in the last 38; if they want to avoid relegation, then those figures have to improve. Home form hasn’t been that great, though, aside from that win over City.

A look at the latest betting odds has Norwich City at 5/6 to be relegated. Those odds are likely to shorten if the Canaries get off to a bad start. Their opening games are not for the faint-hearted. As was the case last time they were in the Premier League, they begin with a game against Liverpool, though this time at Carrow Road. That’s followed by an away game at champions Manchester City, a home game against Leicester and then a trip to Arsenal. A strong start is not expected!

The transfer window is going to be important for Norwich. They won’t be going out and spending £100 million+, that is for sure.  Their policy is not to spend huge amounts just to try and avoid an immediate return to the Championship. Sporting director Stuart Webber says: “We can’t go all in now just to try to stay up for one season because, if we get relegated, we’re in deep, deep trouble.” 

That’s common sense, something not always present in modern-day football. Nor did they sack manager Daniel Farke after the last relegation from the Premier League. Webber rightly looks at sides such as Fulham, who have spent huge amounts and still been relegated. 

When you get promoted to the Premier League, signing some players with experience of that league is vital. Holding onto your best players is another task, but Norwich have failed that one already. Emiliano Buendia scored 15 goals in the Championship last season. Despite winning promotion, the Argentinian decided he wanted a move and joined Aston Villa for £33 million.

They have made some signings already. Billy Gilmour has joined on loan from Chelsea and £3.5 million spent on French midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou. Goalkeeper Angus Gunn is back at Carrow Road after signing from Southampton. Where are the strikers that will score the goals that might keep them in the Premier League? 

Teemu Pukki will again be an important player for them. He’s scored 55 goals in two Championship seasons but only 11 in 36 games in the 2019/20 Premier League season. Pukki needs to get to the 20 mark if Norwich are to stay out of the bottom three this season. 

They certainly need to score more than 26 goals in the 2021/22 season. Their last three seasons in the Premier League has seen them score 93 goals, just ten more than Manchester City scored when winning the title last time around.

Pukki and Buendia scored 41 league goals between them in the last campaign. The next highest scorer was Todd Cantwell with six. With Pukki’s impact in the Premier League reduced and Buendia gone, they are likely to again struggle for goals and end up back in the Championship.

Leave a comment