With a single point accrued from their last six fixtures, it’s been a winter to forget for Chris Hughton’s Norwich. After a poor start to the season, the Canaries seemed to have steadied the ship over autumn, with Carrow Road wins over the likes of Arsenal and United, but the barren festive period has harvested little but despair, with the Norfolk side enduring the worst run of form of any side in the bottom half of the table…
Hughton, however, will take solace in those home triumphs as his side prepare for a run of three games in front of their own fans over the next four Gameweeks. Spurs, Fulham and Everton are all set to roll up to Carrow Road and with a trip to QPR also on their short-term agenda, Fantasy faith in Robert Snodgrass could well be set to rise.
The former Leeds playmaker has produced a solid debut season in the top-flight so far with 94 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) points to his name – indeed, of all midfielders who started the season in the sub 7.0 bracket, only Michu and Marouane Fellaini have outperformed the Scot. While the latter pair have climbed significantly in cost, Snodgrass remains at a reasonable mid-price level, coming in at 6.4 in FPL. Hogging most of the club’s set-pieces and corners, he’s supplied four goals and four assists, and with 17 bonus points also collected, he’s 14 points clear of Seb Bassong and Anthony Pilkington as the top scoring Norwich player in this season’s Fantasy standings.
A recent FA Cup clash with Peterborough afforded the Canaries boss to rest and rotate his first-team regulars but such is Snodgrass’ importance, the Scot retained his place and helped steer his side to victory with a goal and assist in the 3-0 win. Post-match, Hughton explained just how crucial Snodgrass is to the Canaries’ cause:
“I would say he is more confident now that at the start of the season. You get spells like that and he is looking a real threat and for us it is a valuable asset to have. made a decision to make some changes but he is one I know can play games. He is a fit lad. He just continues to show what good form he is in. I think he is playing consistently and he has added some goals and assists to his game, but on the day I thought he was part of an all-round good team performance.”
Capable of explosive hauls, Snodgrass has registered four sets of double figures over his 20 starts for Hughton’s side, scoring 10 or more points against Spurs, Southampton, Swansea and West Brom. The midfielder has also picked up points against the likes of Stoke and Man City, indicating he is capable of producing against the most resilient of rearguards. While Grant Holt has went off the boil, with just one set of returns from Gameweek 8 onwards, and Pilkington found himself dropped to the bench for last week’s trip to Anfield, Snodgrass looks the man most likely to prosper from Norwich’s short-term schedule as Hughton attempts to reignite his side’s floundering form and scramble up the table.
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