Norwich – Premature ascent to power
By David, BettingExpert.com | Published
After two consecutive promotions Lambert may have exhausted the tricks in his bag as he comes up against established big clubs having benefited from the abundant rewards of the Premier League for years.
Manager: Lambert
Tactics: 4-4-2
Players In: Pilkington, Morison, Vaughan, de Laet, Bennett, Naughton
Players Out: Tudur Jones, Gill, Daley, Habergham
Current Probable Formation: Ruddy, Drury, R. Martin, de Laet, Tierney, Pilkington, Fox, Hoolahan, Crofts, J. Vaughan, Holt
Norwich manager Paul Lambert has been the culprit of the club’s rapid ascent to glory, winning promotion twice in succession for the club and taking them to a place nobody would have expected three years ago. However, his lucky ride may well have come to an end. With the big boys in the Premier League there is no time for practice or make believe. This is the real thing and despite their grit and determination they should find life hard at these levels.
The team did well both at home and away last season, finishing just four points behind champions Queens Park Rangers. Goals were never a problem for them with main man Holt grabbing 21 for them. Two of their new faces, Morison and Vaughan, are also strikers, capable of supporting Holt as he pushes his way through the opponents’ lines.
Another new signing, Pilkington, should be another to keep an eye on when it comes to creating danger. Crofts and midfield distributor Hoolahan ensure that with regards to an attacking mindset Norwich will be all set up to deliver the goods.
Amongst the top six teams in the Championship last year they had the worst defence and that shines the spotlight on the real weak point of this team. Lambert has sought to make up for this by bringing in new faces to shuffle his pack but there should not be the necessary improvement with de Laet or Naughton.
Unfortunately for Norwich a weak defence has always been punished in the Premier League. They may have made up for that flaw by working overtime on the other side of the pitch but scoring in the Premier League will be much less easy than in the Championship. Holt and his supporting players from midfield may be doing their best but that should fall short of the mark nonetheless.
Having gained successive promotions the team simply did not have enough time to get the necessary reinforcements. Newcomers have improved the overall quality but that is not yet enough. Moreover, most of the money has been spent on bolstering the striker force. The backline is still too weak with last year’s alarm bells apparently not strong enough to get things moving on that front.
Predicted finishing position: 18th
Norwich’s rise to the high echelons of Premier League football has been too quick. They have not consolidated themselves enough to bear any realistic chances of survival in this jungle. They should enjoy it while they can but expect to be headed straight down from where they came in a few months’ time.
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