The Hornets face Norwich City at Vicarage Road on Friday evening (January 21, 8pm KO), for another huge match in the Premier League.
When the sides last met back in September at Carrow Road, the Golden Boys ran out 3-1 victors as an Ismaïla Sarr double and Emmanuel Dennis’ header sealed the points.
Ahead of what promises to be another breathtaking encounter, let’s take a look at what the Canaries have been up to since we last met...
New Manager
Following the dismissal of Daniel Farke at the beginning of November after more than four years of service, Norwich secured former Aston Villa Manager Dean Smith as his replacement.
Having signed a two-and-a-half-year deal at Carrow Road, Smith faced Southampton in his opening game. Despite going a goal down early on, the Canaries fought back with goals from Teemu Pukki and Grant Hanley earning the club’s second win of the campaign.
As a result, Smith became the first Manager in Premier League history to take charge of successive matches against the same opponent, with his final match as Villa Manager also against the Saints.
New Formation
German boss Farke had favoured a 4-3-3 during his time at the club, while swapping between a 3-5-2 and 5-3-2 depending on the quality of opposition.
When Smith arrived he maintained the 4-3-3 formation for his first game in charge, but more recently he has moved to a 4-4-2 which is a style he experimented with during his time at Villa.
The philosophy sees exciting youngster Adam Idah drop behind strike partner Pukki, or make runs beyond the Finland international.
Recent Form
Since the reverse fixture, Norwich have won three games in the Premier League and currently occupy 18th place in the standings – a point behind the Hornets having played two additional games.
After remaining winless until November 5, they beat Brentford 2-1 away from home in Farke’s last match in charge, followed by a victory against the Saints in Smith’s first game at the helm.
Smith’s influence continued as they drew against Wolverhampton Wanderers and fellow strugglers Newcastle United.
They would go the rest of 2021 without picking up another point or scoring, until January 9 when they faced Charlton Athletic in the Emirates FA Cup, emerging victorious by a single goal.
Last weekend (January 15) the Canaries beat Everton 2-1, with an Idah strike after an early own goal from Michael Keane helping to seal the points.
