Norwich City will qualify for the Championship play-offs come the end of this season.
Tony Pulis, who has commended the Canaries for sticking with manager David Wagner this season, says as much.
Wagner was appointed in January 2023 and is presently in his first full season as manager of Carrow Road.
The Germans faced criticism earlier in the season when they lost nine league games in a row from September to November, dropping them to 17th place in the standings.
That had prompted others to propose that the club fire Wagner.
The 52-year-old has continued in his position thus far, though, as Canaries Sporting Director Ben Knapper chose to continue working with the German in the face of growing criticism early in the Championship campaign.
Norwich closing in on a top six spot
Since the conclusion of the previously mentioned run, the Canaries’ form has significantly improved.
In their next 29 league games, they have only lost six times while winning 16 of them.
They now sit sixth in the standings, six points ahead of Hull City, who are in seventh place and have a game coming up.
Nevertheless, Norwich is aware that they will secure a play-off berth if they win four points from their final two regular season games—at home against Swansea City and away against Birmingham City.
Naturally, the Canaries will have the opportunity to clinch promotion back to the Premier League with that.
Pulis now thinks Norwich will definitely qualify for the playoffs, supporting their choice to retain Wagner as manager during the process.
Tony Pulis reveals his prediction for sixth spot
Who will place sixth in the Championship is still up in the air with less than two weeks remaining in the regular season.
But because of their confidence in Wagner, Pulis believes Norwich have done enough to hold into that spot in the final standings.
Regarding the team he believes will secure the final play-off spot, the former manager of West Brom, Middlesbrough, and Stoke stated via OLBG:
“Norwich have done enough; Norwich will win, so teams like Middlesbrough and Hull City will lose out.” I’ve appreciated Norwich City’s willingness to give David Wagner more time to make improvements.
“The amount of time they have today is insufficient. I recall talking to an experienced manager who told me that you need to evaluate the situation in the first year, put the necessary adjustments into place in the second year, and if you don’t succeed in the third year, you risk being fired. That was also a few years ago, and the situation is just becoming worse.
“Chiefmen need to be more trustworthy and diligent than some of them are, because that’s just the way the world works with things like social media.”
Norwich ought to have done enough for a play-off place
Beyond that, they are playing a Swansea team that has underperformed this season and has nothing left to play for. It would feel surprising if Norwich did not secure a top six spot from the position they are currently in. The Canaries are in very good form, and that momentum they take into these final two games of the regular season should surely help them there.
They then play Birmingham City, a team that is currently battling to stay in the Championship.
Therefore, those who are associated with Norwich would believe that these are two contests from which they should be able to garner at least the four points required.
Given some of the cries for Wagner’s removal, if they follow through on that, their decision to continue with him will have been vindicated, and those who bravely made this stand should be applauded.
In fact, given what Wagner is doing with this club right now, Norwich may be able to look forward to next season with a reasonable degree of confidence even if they are unable to earn promotion this one.
