3 things we’ve learnt about Norwich City this season

Following relegation from the Premier League last term, Norwich City would have been hopeful of securing an instant return to the English top-flight during the 2016/17 season.

How has it gone? Pretty well, admittedly.

Alex Neil’s side currently occupy the runners-up spot in the Championship, just two points shy of early league leaders Huddersfield Town after their opening 11 fixtures.

Next up, the visit of rock-bottom Rotherham United at Carrow Road, with the Canaries very much overwhelming favourites to record all three points on Saturday.

A win would see Norwich top the standings, temporarily at least, as Huddersfield don’t host Sheffield Wednesday until Sunday.

But what have we learnt about the Canaries so far during the 2016/17 season? Here is what SHOOT has recognised…

Cameron Jerome will prove the doubters wrong

The striker may have taken a lot of stick from fans for his goal return last season, but Jerome has already gone a long way to prove his critics that he has a role to play.

It is no secret that to escape the Championship you need to have a regular supply of goals, with Andre Gray and Abel Hernandez proving to be the catalyst to Burnley and Hull City’s respective promotions.

Jerome has already managed to find the net five times this season, which has seen him average one in every two matches so far, and his presence was sorely missed at Birmingham City.

The frontman sat it out through injury and it happened to coincide with Norwich’s worst performance of the season as they slipped to a 3-0 defeat.

His goals were an obvious miss, but his link-up play and energy that he brings to the team is so often overlooked. He is really unselfish and works tirelessly for the side.

This is why the striker has won fans back over and his new found confidence is shining onto the pitch, which is why I would back him to get at least 15 goals.

Faith in youth pays off

It is always nice to see some local lads come through and make the grade at the club, which has certainly been the case this season and the future looks very bright.

Jacob Murphy and his twin brother Josh have made massive impacts this season and look to have really established themselves as first-team members.

The goals of the Murphy twins have been eye-catching, but there have been several other young performers that have stood out this season and have given Alex Neil a welcome headache.

Sergi Canos has looked lively in his appearances so far and there have also been glimpses from Alex Pritchard to suggest he could prove to be a key player.

Tough midfielder Louis Thompson has also seized his opportunity and made his Championship debut at Nottingham Forest, while youngster Ben Godfrey has also caught the eye.

The 18-year-old impressed the City boss in pre-season and marked his senior debut with a cracking goal against Coventry, despite playing in an unfamiliar right-back role.

A special mention also goes to ‘keeper Ben Killip who saved a penalty in the EFL Trophy and was part of the club’s viral “Spikeball” video, which is well worth a watch.

The EFL Trophy also saw 16-year-old defender Timi Odusina make his debut, giving Norwich fans plenty to be excited about in years to come.

Canaries have bounce-back ability

There were certainly a lot of question marks raised about the side when they fell to a disappointing defeat at Birmingham, with many writing off chances of a return to the Premier League.

In typical Alex Neil fashion though, he orchestrated a run of six wins in all competitions and also silenced the doubters from the summer transfer window.

That particular run ended in a bizarre defeat at Newcastle United, where the Canaries squandered a 3-1 lead to lose 4-3 in the very last minute – leading to fans to question the side again.

Once more, the side responded in perfect fashion with a 2-1 win at a Wolves side that many pundits fancy breaking into the Championship top six.

Closing out the game was important after the reverse at Newcastle and has now set City up very nicely ahead of the Christmas run-in.

It is never easy to bounce straight back up, but the club looks like it is heading in the right direction and has made a good habit of winning games.