ESPN FC - Arsenal fly high once again
Mar 20Norwich City Fan’s Premier League Season Preview
The Canaries have bounced straight back up after relegation in 2019/20 and fans are hoping Norwich can extend their stay in the top flight this time around.
Ahead of a brand new season of Premier League football on BT Sport, we spoke to fans of each and every team about their expectations for what lies ahead over the next nine months.
Talking all things Norwich City, BTSport.com sat down with Jack Reeve of Talk Norwich City to get his thoughts ahead of the new campaign.
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Hopes
My hope is that the players who suffered relegation in 2019/20 have rectified their wrongdoings because it’s a squad of undoubted talent.
A lot of them will be disappointed with how it went the last time we were there. There was a squad before with very little experience, we had a lot of injuries and then Covid didn’t help because we lost 10 straight following the Project Restart.
I just hope we can play the football we played in the Championship in the Premier League. We did that in the early stages of 2019/20 but then it really tailed off. Our defensive line has changed since then though, so hopefully we won’t leak the goals we did the last time we were up.
Now we are better equipped, plus we’ve got a point to prove and a chip on our shoulder. There’s a mixture of players who have been there and done it now with a few more experienced heads like Ben Gibson.
Fears
My big fear for the season is we’ve lost our two best players - Emi Buendia and Oliver Skipp - and now we are going up another level.
We’ve got players who can play those roles, they just aren’t as good. Buendia was mercurial, Skipp was maybe the best midfielder in the Championship and the gulf between the two divisions grows ever larger it seems.
It’s a very difficult start too. We’ve got Liverpool, Man City, Leicester and Arsenal to start with – and then Watford, which feels like it could be a huge game. If we don’t pick enough points in the early games, then it could define the rest of the season.
Most important player
Milo Rashica. He’s a right winger and of all the signings he comes in with the most excitement. He’s the replacement for Buendia so comes in with a bit of pressure straight away.
He’s pacey, was highly rated in Werder Brremen but went off the boil slightly so he’s arrived for a relatively big price tag of £9million with a bit of a chip on his shoulder and something to prove. Also Dimitris Giannoulis, who was sensational last season, could be crucial. If he handles himself in the Premier League then it will have a big impact on our results.
Rising star
Bali Mumba. He’s a player who not a lot of people will have heard of but he’s really exciting. We signed him from Sunderland and he was their best player throughout the age groups. He’s a right back or left back and he looks a real star. There was a game against Swansea last season when he absolutely tore them apart.
Even if Max Aarons does stay, with the cup games too I think Mumba will get played. There’s no intention of loaning him out so expect Mumba to get game time this season.
What I’ve missed the most
I’ve missed the routine of it. It’s a real shame because the last time we were in the Premier League, although we got relegated, we only saw four or five months of it so it seems like the fans have some unfinished business there.
I miss going to the pub before the game, seeing the same people in the seats who you don’t know the names of. I missed seeing the promotion and I miss seeing some of the long-standing players like Alexander Tettey. We also didn’t get to say goodbye to the departing players like Buendia… it feels like we’ve missed so much, I’m just gagging to get back.
I see a lot of people at Carrow Road who I don’t see outside of that, a lot of friendships I held dearly and I just haven’t seen them. It’s going to be such a special moment – that first game against Liverpool.
Prediction
17th – We’ve got enough to stay up. We’ve got a lot of players who feel like the Premier League view them as rollovers so they’ll be desperate to prove themselves.
There’s a real belief in the club plus I look at some of the other teams like Watford and Crystal Palace and I believe they will struggle.
