Incredible Norwich City statistic highlights major problem holding Johannes Hoff Thorup back this season

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Norwich City have had a strange season. The Canaries are one of the highest-scoring teams in England, and have a formidable home record, yet they are still only an outside bet for the play-offs.

After only managing a 1-1 draw against struggling Oxford United on Friday night, Norwich City are tenth in the Championship table with 49 points from 36 games.

That leaves them six points adrift of West Brom in sixth place, and Norwich’s habit of dropping points from winning positions is clearly costing them in their hunt for promotion this year.

But, there are deeper issues at play here, and there is one particularly astounding statistic that really underlines just how much of a challenge Johannes Hoff Thorup has faced this season.

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Norwich City have been forced into changes week after week

Believe it or not, due to injury issues throughout the campaign, Norwich City have now used 33 different starting XI combinations in their 36 games this season.

The Canaries have been without the likes of star striker Josh Sargent, number one goalkeeper Angus Gunn, and key midfielder Marcelino Nunez for months at a time this year.

Just last weekend, both Lewis Dobbin and Ben Chrisene picked up season-ending injuries in the draw against Blackburn Rovers.

Add to this the fact that Championship Golden Boot candidate Borja Sainz was banned for eight games for a spitting incident, and it’s obvious why Norwich are sitting in midtable rather than fighting it out with the top four right now.

It says it all that Thorup has only been able to use the same starting XI six times in all competitions this term, and that kind of inconsistency and instability is always going to harm even the best teams.

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Norwich City would probably be in the play-offs were it not for injuries

Ask any Norwich fan and they’ll tell you just how disruptive this has been to Thorup and his team’s attempts to build something meaningful and successful this season.

One supporter took to Twitter/X to write: “This has got to be key when assessing this season. Even halve that injury list and you have to think it would be worth an extra 7-8 points, and a place in the playoffs.

“With that level of disruption I’m not really sure how some say they’ve expected more from this season.”

The fact Norwich are still within touching distance of a play-off spot is a miracle, all things considered. And when you see that Leeds United (72 goals) are the only team to score more than the Canaries (57 goals) this season, it’s abundantly clear that there is something special brewing in Norfolk.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
6	West BromWest Brom	36	13	16	7	46	32	14	55
7	Bristol CityBristol City	36	13	14	9	46	39	7	53
8	BlackburnBlackburn	36	15	7	14	41	37	4	52
9	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	36	14	8	14	55	47	8	50
10	NorwichNorwich	36	12	13	11	57	49	8	49
11	WatfordWatford	36	14	7	15	46	50	-4	49
12	MillwallMillwall	36	12	12	12	36	37	-1	48
13	Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday	36	13	9	14	50	56	-6	48

Now, the key for Norwich is holding this squad together going into next season and building on those strong foundations that have been laid this year. That’s easier said than done, though.

With Sargent and Sainz likely to leave in the summer, and young Kellen Fisher also a target for Premier League clubs, Thorup may have to rebuild as opposed to taking Norwich to the next level in 2025/26.

Still, the links with Wycombe’s Richard Kone could help in that department, if he can fill the void potentially left behind by Sargent in attack.