Norwich City edged ever closer to Championship safety over the weekend with an impressive 2-0 win away at Leicester City. But can they still make the playoffs?
Philippe Clement’s resurgent Canaries claimed all three points thanks to those second-half strikes from Anis Ben Slimane and Ali Ahmed.
The result leaves Norwich 11 points clear of the relegation zone with 11 games of the season left to play.
Clement’s side, now 12 points off the top six with just under a quarter of the campaign remaining, have some fans still dreaming of a late play-off push.
They are the form side in the division, having recorded more points than any other team since the turn of the year.
But how realistic is a late run to the play-offs, and how many wins would it take?
I’ve taken a look at the last five Championship seasons to assess what the Canaries could need from their remaining games to reach the top six come May.
2024/25 – 68 points
Liam Manning’s Bristol City reached last season’s play-offs with a low total of 68 points.
It’s often said that recording 75 points guarantees play-off qualification, which perhaps demonstrates the low bar required during the 2024/25 season.
To reach 68 points, City would need 23 points from their remaining 11 games.
At an average of more than two points a game, it’s certainly a tall order.
2023/24 – 73 points
David Wagner’s Canaries reached the 2023/24 play-offs thanks to an impressive second half of the season, inspired by Josh Sargent, Gabriel Sara and Borja Sainz.
That season, City finished on 73 points – three more than seventh-placed Hull City.
Norwich fans won’t need reminding of how the play-off campaign ended at Elland Road, but the season was the club’s most successful since relegation in 2022.
2022/23 – 69 points
Sunderland snuck into the 2022/23 play-offs on goal-difference after reaching 69 points – the same number as Blackburn Rovers.
The Black Cats lost 3-2 over two legs to Luton Town, who ultimately went on to return to England’s top tier for the first time since 1992.
Sunderland ended the regular league season with 18 wins, 15 draws and 13 losses.
2021/22 – 75 points
At 75 points, the bar to reach the 2021/22 play-offs was certainly high.
That was achieved by sixth-placed Luton, who finished five points above Middlesbrough.
To reach that points haul, City would have to win all but one of their remaining 11 games.
2020/21 – 77 points
City didn’t have to worry about the 2020/21 play-offs having finished as champions with 97 points.
That season AFC Bournemouth has to record 77 points to finish sixth, representing an above-average total to reach the play-offs.
The Cherries lost their two-legged semi-final against Brentford 3-2 on aggregate, but would go on to finish the following season in second place.
So, yeah, a tall order in the extreme. But nothing feels impossible right now under Clement.
We couldn’t, could we?
