Norwich City: 3 Massive Games for the Canaries to Save Themselves

It’s fair to say that the Arsenal defeat has left a bad taste in the mouth of most Norwich City supporters. It was a game where the Norfolk side more than matched their more illustrious opponents for the majority of the match, and a game that they might have won without the officials intervening.

Nevertheless, it was always going to be a big task to take even one point away from Arsenal. Norwich would have gone into that game more in hope than expectation. It is now time to move onto three games which should secure Norwich’s place in the Premier League for next season.

It’s crunch time for the club as they look to pull clear of the relegation zone, but there is no more room for error, particularly in the home games against Reading and Aston Villa. The Stoke away game is certainly also an interesting one.

So, let’s review the three upcoming games.

Reading (Home)

I think we know that Reading are certain to be relegated and have simply left too much to do. However, it’s difficult to know in what frame of mind they will come to Carrow Road. They may think that the pressure is now off, and they can come and express themselves. However, they could equally decide that they would just like to avoid another defeat.

On paper, Norwich should take care of business with a nervy win, but this game is not played on paper. And if it were, then Sunderland wouldn’t have beaten Newcastle to throw an almighty spanner into the works.

This one looks to me like the easiest one to win, especially considering that Reading’s situation is so bleak. However, let’s not forget that the Canaries have won just once from the last sixteen games. I think the chances of the Canaries getting a positive result largely depend on the approach that Chris Hughton takes.

I think to a large extent, he has to go for it in this one and grab an early goal to settle the nerves. It was another passive first half from Norwich against Arsenal, and it was a similar story against Swansea.

Therefore, I have some fear that it will be a poor first half from Chris Hughton’s men. I can only imagine the groans around Carrow Road if Reading were to have the lead at half time. There is absolutely no doubt that this is a vital game that the Canaries really need all three points from.

Stoke City (Away)

Stoke now look like they might be the third team relegated from the Premier League and are in a serious mess. They are currently bottom of the table and have lost five of their last six games, so Norwich might be out to put more misery on them.

However, let’s remember that the Canaries don’t have the best away record and have won just one league game on the road all season. They also don’t have an awful lot of goals on them, so all in all a draw here looks the most likely result.

The key thing about this match is not to lose it; it’s very similar to when we played Wigan a few weeks ago. The problem is if you’re trying to draw a match, it often leads to actually losing it, so Hughton will have to manage that carefully.

Aston Villa (Home)

Of the three games, this is the one that I fear the most. Paul Lambert will be up for this game, as he proved when the sides met in the Capital One Cup. Aston Villa can be a very dangerous side when they are in the mood.

Unfortunately, Villa have looked well and truly in the mood over the last few weeks, and we know about the talents they have in attacking areas. This will be a tense game and a big test for Chris Hughton. Let’s just hope that he can avenge the defeat that his side suffered in the cup.

I can’t help but being nervous about these run of games; they could well and truly save or break the season. My big fear is fail to beat Reading, getting the same again at Stoke and then losing against Aston Villa. A scenario that will certainly leave everyone feeling nervous, but we all hope that instead we get the points required to pull clear.

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