FIVE-POINTPLAN

DITCH THE BAGGAGE Norwich supporters will feel the dread. No club has suffered more Premier League relegations, and sporting director Stuart Webber has already declared their budget the smallest in top-tier history. However, some of Norwich’s best times have come when few fancied them, when they trusted their players and did things the right way – exactly what got them promotion in the first place.

HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO Last season’s midfield was prolific: four were in the Championship’s top-20 scoring midfielders, three in assists, and two in the top 10 for key passes. All can keep the ball and pick a pass or shot – more than covering ground, breaking up play and fighting fires. Tom Trybull is most adept at the defensive side and has been excellent, but to get their balance right, Norwich need some more backline protection.

MASTERY NEEDS HUMILITY City’s success has come quickly, but Norwich’s self-funding model is what Premier League riches are designed to crush. Add in that teams won’t stand in the Carrow Road tunnel fearing who’s lined up alongside them, and Norwich’s acceptance of their new environment must be swift and sure.

THE GOAL IS THE SAME SIZE The Canaries’ past Premier League campaigns have floundered on a lack of goals. Ashley Ward joined too late to keep them up back in 1995; likewise Dean Ashton in 2005. This time they already have football’s best-value free transfer ever – probably – in Teemu Pukki. The free-scoring, free-assisting Finn must now prove his movement and clinical finishing can step up, while hoping he still gets poachers’ chances.

IGNORE THE DISTRACTIONS Farke barely made one tactical substitution in 2019, often simply using up time with late swaps. But in the top flight, game management and tactical intelligence are crucial to survival. Not conceding goals either side of half-time would also be handy: from 41st-50th was the only 10-minute window last season where Norwich posted a negative goal difference (-8).