I had to keep reminding myself that Norwich City had won at Sunderland.
Never has the notion that we will play much better and lose felt more true. We were so poor off the ball, and under the cosh for so much of the match, it was a classic smash and grab. Sunderland fans will never understand how they didn’t score.
Having said that, to say City were lucky is reductive. We were certainly blessed with good fortune - I assume Sunderland must have done something terrible to anger the footballing gods. There’s a lot of pleasure to take, though, in witnessing your team put in a proper battling performance, throwing everything they had at keeping the ball out of the net (in Grant Hanley’s case, literally everything) and coming away with a hard-fought victory. Norwich are so often on the other end of these sorts of games that I’m not feeling sorry for Sunderland. It’s about time we came out on top in one.
The game changed, from what I could see, on the substitutions made by Dean Smith in the second half.
To be able to bring on players of the calibre of Todd Cantwell and Teemu Pukki in a Championship away match is a great privilege. It’s the depth in the squad that puts City ahead of a lot of their rivals in the division. It is, famously, an extremely competitive league and the starting line-ups of a lot of the clubs in it can beat anyone else’s on the day.
It’s when legs start to tire that the difference is made. Cantwell and Pukki would walk into any other Championship starting line-up, without a doubt. Milot Rashica, too – and he wasn’t even in the squad at the Stadium of Light. Jordan Hugill is another.
I have spent a lot of time pondering whether this will turn out to be another procession towards promotion or if City will hit the buffers this time.
Our poor start raised questions. Does Dean Smith know what he’s trying to do with this team? Have we brought in the right players? Are we wrong to stick with so many of the players that have been relegated? Four league wins on the trot and a rise from bottom of the table to fourth has certainly helped ease my concerns. The team still lacks the clear identity that it enjoyed under Daniel Farke, but there are signs that we are heading in the right direction and the players are responding to Smith’s instructions.
We are obviously still to see what Isaac Hayden can do, but Marcelino Nunez has looked like a classy addition and fitted in nicely. There’s still plenty to come from Gabriel Sara as he builds up his fitness, and Aaron Ramsey made his first mark in a Norwich shirt on Saturday by providing the assist for Josh Sargent’s winner. They have all been midfielders so far – I’m expecting a left back to sign before the end of the transfer window – but recruitment wise, I think we have done alright.
I still have my reservations about some of the players that have been here a while. I have wondered if the aforementioned Cantwell would have been better off starting afresh elsewhere, as he hasn’t quite hit the heights he was at two years ago, and I remain underwhelmed by Rashica. Some of my fellow supporters love him; I think he flatters to deceive a lot of the time. I just wish he could cross a ball.
For now at least, Norwich are living up to their billing as favourites for an immediate return to the Premier League. Recruitment that appears to have paid off, some rightly-placed faith in the existing squad and a manager who is getting his ideas across have us climbing the table.
Come May, the depth in that squad could make all the difference.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here