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Odjidja-Ofoe shines as Norwich cap off superb festive period with a win

Odjidja-Ofoe shines as Norwich cap off superb festive period with a win

Saturday afternoon saw Norwich City win back-to-back home games in the Premier League for the first time since November 2013 as Alex Tettey’s late strike proved enough to defeat 10-man Southampton. The victory marked our 3rd win in as many weeks and the form table over the festive period sees City 2nd only to Tottenham - a remarkable feat considering the worrying dip in form we had suffered in the weeks previous. I take a look at a few of the things that we learned from the win:

For the first time in months, our defence is strong

I must admit that I have never been truly convinced by Ryan Bennett - I felt (and still do feel) that he has never quite lived up to the huge billing came with him when he signed from Peterborough. Ever since he returned to the side following Russell Martin’s suspension, however, he has been superb. While not the most stylish of defenders, and his insistence on attempting Scholes-esque cross field balls that more often than not end up in the stands is enough to drive anyone insane, he does his job well. It remains debatable whether our upturn in defensive fortunes is more down to the performances of Bennett or simply the fact that we no longer have Russell Martin in his position but who cares, it’s working. Shane Long didn’t have a sniff on Saturday.

Now is the time for Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe

Odjidja-Ofoe came from Club Brugge in the summer of 2014 as an unknown quantity - 18 months later and this unknown status hasn’t really changed for City fans, but I feel that we are finally beginning to see glimpses of his abilities. In a game devoid of any quality, Vadis offered just that as his nut-meg and subsequent pass perfectly set up Tettey for the winning strike. The Belgian, who let’s not forget has been capped internationally, boasts strength, skill and creativity in abundance and provides a different option to the pacier but more lightweight, and increasingly disappointing, Nathan Redmond. This weekend’s FA Cup game against Man City seems the perfect opportunity to give Vadis his second start of the campaign and allows Alex Neil to see how he fares against the league’s best. If he can impress once more, a place in the starting line-up in the following mid-weeks’ game at Stoke may not be too far away.

Have we seen the last of John Ruddy?

Saturday’s shut-out makes two consecutive clean sheets for Declan Rudd as he continues to look more assured with every game. While he did not have a huge amount of work to do, what he did have to do, he did with confidence. Rumours emerged this afternoon that Bournemouth are after John Ruddy, and while I don’t think that we will sell to a direct rival, I would not be surprised if we have seen the last of him in a City shirt. At just 29 Ruddy has numerous years of keeping still ahead of him and he will demand minutes - with Rudd looking perfectly comfortable as City’s leading goalkeeper, it doesn’t look like City will be able to cater for these demands and it won’t be long before he starts looking elsewhere.