Daniel Farke has admitted it might take a “miracle” to keep Norwich in the Premier League.
Last season’s Sky Bet Championship winners head for Tottenham on Wednesday evening sitting at the foot of the table despite Saturday’s 1-0 win over fellow strugglers Bournemouth, their first in the league since November.
That left the Canaries six points adrift of safety with 15 games left to play and while that gap is far from insurmountable, head coach Farke is under no illusions as to the task ahead of his team.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, he said: “We have to be realistic. When you get promoted into the best league in the world, you have to handle the expectations a little bit.
“We’ve had the biggest injury crisis of all our competitors at this level as well. We haven’t had a lot of luck.
“We know it will be a big sensation – maybe a miracle – that we stay in this league.
“A relegation battle is good to experience. It shows the character and personality of the players. We were praised a lot last season for that and we’ve shown it again this season.”
Norwich will arrive in north London knowing they will have to be better than they were in their last away game, a 4-0 drubbing at Manchester United on January 11, if they are to emerge with anything to show for their efforts.
Farke said: “You learn the most out of a not-so perfect game. We were self-critical and this experience will help us at Tottenham.
“We are respectful. We know we face a top-class club. They have top-class players and such a successful coach. But we’ve shown we can win points against any opponent.”
Farke will, however, have to make changes with defender Ben Godfrey beginning a three-match ban following his sending-off against Bournemouth, and key midfielder Emiliano Buendia missing with a thigh injury.
Asked how long Buendia might be out, the German said: “It’s too early to say with Emi. He was on the training pitch today, but he couldn’t run.
“He will also probably be out for the FA Cup game, but hopefully back for the next league game. It’s a blow that he’s not available, but we have to handle it.
“It’s not a headache. I trust my players and my whole squad. It’s a good chance for another player to shine. But he is a big miss.”
