Norwich on the verge of Championship title as second place Watford visit Carrow Road

Norwich City can claim their second Championship title in three years if they beat Watford at Carrow Road on Tuesday evening.

The Canaries secured an immediate return to the Premier League on Saturday before their game against Bournemouth kicked off. Both Brentford and Swansea failed to win in their respective matches against Millwall and Wycombe, meaning that Daniel Farke’s side guaranteed themselves a top two finish without even playing.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Cherries left Carrow Road with a win that evening. The hosts were clearly distracted by the earlier confirmation of their promotion, despite racing into the lead after just five minutes thanks to a brilliant goal from Emi Buendia. Dimitris Giannoulis’ red card just over ten minutes later was the turning point, however, and three second half goals from Jonathan Woodgate’s side was enough to secure a comfortable 3-1 win.

Of course, Bournemouth still have a lot to play for. A disappointing start to the campaign saw their automatic promotions vanish and manager Jason Tindall sacked. Now, under Woodgate, they’ve won six Championship games on the bounce and have nailed down their position as one of the favourites to win this season’s play-offs.

Norwich, however, have achieved their main goal. But their next game against Watford on Tuesday night presents an opportunity for the Canaries to seal the Championship title with three games to spare.

The Hornets have yet to confirm their position in the top two, with the likes of Brentford and Swansea still within touching distance despite their poor form. Xisco Muñoz’s side head into the clash on the back of a humiliating derby defeat away at Luton Town. Although the scoreline was just 1-0, the Hatters dominated the game while their Hertfordshire rivals failed to register a shot on target.

For Norwich, this season has been a major statement of intent. Few expected them to bounce back from their devastating relegation last season, but in fact, they’re likely to improve on their incredible 2018/19 campaign when they also won the Championship title. The Canaries will finish on 102 points if they win their final four games, a big improvement on the 94 points they accrued in their last season in the second tier.

Watford’s entire season rests on following in Norwich’s footsteps and securing an immediate return to the Premier League, and there will be major consequences if they fail to do so.

The Hornets are known for their ‘revolving door’ policy in chopping and changing managers, so Xisco’s position would likely be in severe jeopardy if they don’t win promotion. Furthermore, key players such as Ismaïla Sarr and João Pedro would likely be offered opportunities from elsewhere to return to the top flight.

This could be a similar story for Norwich, even though they’re in the Premier League next season.

Emi Buendia has had significant interest from Arsenal, and a move to a top six club looks possible this summer. Todd Cantwell and Max Aarons were also linked with moves away from the club last year, but ultimately ended up staying in Norfolk. There’s no guarantee that’ll be the case this summer.

Nonetheless, their model is one that every Championship club aspires to emulate, while clubs facing relegation from the Premier League will hope that they have the same bounce back ability as the Canaries. Even Watford, who’ve arguably achieved more than Norwich in recent years, would perhaps benefit from ditching their current approach and focusing on the long-term success of their club.

Of course, being dubbed England’s perennial ‘yo-yo club’ is never nice, and Norwich’s next aim will be to establish themselves as a Premier League team. For now, Farke’s focus will be on Tuesday night and adding another title to the Canaries’ trophy cabinet.

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