Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Oliver Skipp headlines Norwich City’s last starting XI on the opening day of a Championship season after he helped the Canaries win the title on loan.
Daniel Farke took Skipp to Carrow Road for the 2020/21 campaign to afford the Spurs gem regular first-team minutes. He was yet to firmly establish a senior footing in north London, but he has proven pivotal in the capital since returning from a successful second-tier spell.
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The 2020/21 Championship term was also hugely successful for Norwich as they swept the title to gain promotion to the Premier League. Farke’s men amassed 97 points across their 46 games from 29 wins and 10 draws – no team won a greater tally than the Norfolk outfit.
But Norwich would fail to avoid another immediate relegation to the Championship for the second time in three terms. The Canaries finished rock bottom of the Premier League pack last season, matching their meagre return of five wins from 38 games in the 2019/20 term.
Now, Dean Smith will hope he can follow in Farke’s footsteps and take Norwich back to the top-flight. The Canaries start their term on the road to Cardiff City on Saturday, July 30. But who started the last time Norwich played on the opening day of a Championship season?
Tim Krul (GK): Star of Norwich’s last Championship opening day XI eying fourth title
Tim Krul was among the Norwich players who started the last time the Canaries played on the opening day of a Championship season. The Dutchman went on to win a third second-tier title that term with 36 appearances, and will now eye a third at Carrow Road this term.
Max Aarons (RB): Everton target star of last Championship opening day Norwich XI
Max Aarons helped Norwich win the Championship title in 2018/19 and in 2020/21, and is still at Carrow Road today. But The Sun report Everton, Wolfsburg, Marseille and Borussia Monchengladbach are interested in signing the full-back, having looked into a £15m move.
Christoph Zimmermann (CB): Captain of Norwich’s last Championship opening day XI
Christoph Zimmermann captained Farke’s squad to a 1-0 win at Huddersfield Town the last time that Norwich played on the opening day of a Championship season. But the defender is no longer at Carrow Road, having joined 2.Bundesliga side Darmstadt earlier this month.
Ben Godfrey (CB): Everton signed Norwich ace after last Championship opening day
Everton raided Norwich to sign Ben Godfrey for £20m weeks after the defender started at Huddersfield on the opening day of the 2020/21 Championship term. The 24-year-old had spent four years in Norfolk, enjoying 78 appearances and has so far made 63 for the Blues.
Xavi Quintilla (LB): Defender seals Santa Clara switch one year after Norwich exit
Xavi Quintilla spent the 2020/21 Championship season on loan at Norwich, and started on the opening day. But Farke did not keep the Villarreal ace as he only played 12 games. The 25-year-old instead spent ‘21/22 at Leganes, and has now joined Santa Clara permanently.
Kenny McLean (CDM): Midfielder keen to avoid 2020/21 comparisons at Norwich
Kenny McLean joined Norwich from Aberdeen in 2018 and has helped the Canaries secure promotion to the top-flight twice. But the midfielder is keen to avoid comparisons to their previous title success as Smith’s side now set about regaining a seat at the top-flight table.
“Whether it’s new players, new staff, new manager, everybody is going to get compared to two or four years ago; but we’re not comparing,” he told The Athletic. “Plenty of us were involved in that, so we’ve had a taste of that… We know what’s required.”
Oliver Skipp (CDM): Tottenham ace in Norwich’s last Championship opening day XI
Skipp joined Norwich on loan for the 2020/21 Championship season, having only played 23 games with Tottenham for 700 minutes. But he would enjoy 2,006 minutes over 28 games across all competitions in ‘21/22, before requiring surgery on a season-ending pubis injury.
Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte were more forthcoming with Skipp having a bigger presence after his Carrow Road performances. The 21-year-old played 45 of Norwich’s 46 Championship games, starting 44, and saw Farke brand him ‘perfect’ and ‘brilliant’, as well.
Onel Hernandez (RM): Forward back at Carrow Road after Championship loan deals
Onel Hernandez is now back at Norwich for the new Championship season after spending last term with Middlesbrough and Birmingham City. Farke sent his 2018 arrival to Teesside in August before switching to the Second City in January, for four goals in 38 league games.
Kieran Dowell (CAM): Everton product lifted Championship title after Canaries move
Kieran Dowell helped Norwich lift the 2020/21 Championship title after leaving Everton for Carrow Road ahead of the season. The Toffees product had spent the prior term on loan at Derby County and Wigan Athletic, but only made five first-team outings at Goodison Park.
Todd Cantwell (LM): Norwich product secured second Championship title in 2020/21
Norwich product Todd Cantwell took his second Championship winners’ medal in 2020/21, and started on the opening day at Huddersfield. The 24-year-old, who spent the latter half of last term on loan to Bournemouth, also offered six goals and seven assists in 33 games.
Teemu Pukki (ST): Norwich 2020/21 top-scorer laid on the assist for opening day win
Teemu Pukki fired Norwich to promotion in 2020/21 with a team-high 26 goals – only Ivan Toney (31) for Brentford and Adam Armstrong (28) for Blackburn Rovers scored more. But the Finland forward did not net at Huddersfield, and instead assisted Adam Idah’s winner.
Farke brought Idah off the bench for Dowell in the 75th minute while taking Hernandez off for Przemyslaw Placheta. Pukki would find Idah five minutes after his introduction to score the only goal of the opening day affair and get Norwich’s title season off to a winning start.
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