Last weekend’s results leaves City favourites for the drop

Sunderland’s goal-less draw with Arsenal on Sunday afternoon was enough to consign Norwich City to a place in the bottom three, as Sam Allardyce’s side took one big step to safety. Having now played the same number of games, Sunderland sit clear of Norwich on goal difference - which effectively represents an extra point - and the Mackems arguably have a more favourable run-in than the Canaries. There is no doubt in my mind that, having been in a position of relative safety City are now, unfortunately, the favourites to go down.

In a recent blog I said that I felt for City to have a chance of survival, we would need to still be outside of the bottom three when we travel to Arsenal on Saturday. This would have required Liverpool to avoid defeat against Newcastle, and Sunderland to lose to Arsenal, which, as we now know, didn’t happen. The only positive to come from the weekend is that Newcastle didn’t win. Being a point behind City, and having played a game more, you’d hope that we will be able to finish above them - that being said, their remaining fixtures are arguably the kindest of the three. Furthermore, the momentum that they will have got after coming back from 2 goals down at Anfield will be huge. That is something that I just cannot see City being capable of. If, at the Emirates on Saturday, we go 2 goals down, or even 1 goal down, focuses will immediately turn to damage limitation - it will be a story of how many goals we can restrict them to, not how we can get back into the game. We have only ever won one game from a losing position under Alex Neil, even in the Championship. One game.

Some Norwich fans will take solace out of the fact that neither Newcastle or Sunderland won, but the fact that they both picked up points means that we now have to go out and get something against one of Arsenal or Manchester United. We have to ensure that we are level, or at least within touching distance, as we go into our final two games - this means that against the two big guns we will have to, at the very least, match Sunderland (vs Stoke away, and Chelsea at home) and Newcastle’s (vs Crystal Palace at home, Villa away) results in their next two games. I wouldn’t be surprised if both north-east clubs picked up wins this weekend which leaves us to try and repeat the feat at the Emirates, and, if not, against a Manchester United side gunning for the top-four.

Whilst I may be naturally pessimistic as a Norwich supporter, I genuinely think that we are now the favourites to go down. Newcastle undoubtedly have the strongest squad (which has massively under-achieved), a brilliant manager and a very favourable run-in, despite having a game less to play with. They also have the momentum, having held City and Liverpool to draws in consecutive games, on the back of dispatching Swansea last weekend. Sunderland have a proven, 16-goal striker, an experienced manager who has never been relegated and have only lost once in their last seven games. What do Norwich have? An inexperienced manager, a vulnerable defence missing it’s best and most crucial asset, and a strike-force that can’t score. Whilst our rivals have discovered momentum, we have completely lost ours and have had two crushing defeats in consecutive weeks. Two crushing defeats that is likely to be turned into a three come this weekend. It doesn’t look good.

You might have guessed that I am not one bit confident, but at the end of the day, we are only one point adrift and in a season where Leicester City are about to be crowned Champions with 2 games to spare, who am I to discount anything?

Miracles do happen.

But is Norwich City managing to successfully navigating a relegation battle for once in it’s recent history too much of a miracle to ask for? Probably.