Kevin Phillips’ Expert Analysis: Norwich Pressure and Championship Predictions

Calvert-Lewin, Justin and Stach Are the Three Sunderland Must Watch

It’s a big, big game for Sunderland. They need a result, but they’re coming up against a team that’s got some really, really good players, a very, very good team, and physically a very, very good team as well, so they know they’re going to be in for a battle.

I think the obvious one that stands out is Dominic Calvert-Lewin. He’s an absolute handful on his day. He’s a nuisance, he’s good in the air, he’s good at holding it up, he’s got energy, his work rate, and he can score goals. You put the ball in the box, and he’s very, very good in the air. So he’s the most obvious one.

I think James Justin on that right-hand side, up and down, energy, he creates goals, gets into good positions. And again, he’s a constant threat. And I think Anton Stach in the midfield area, he’s been one of their better players this season, one of their best players, a very, very accomplished midfield player and very, very good at set plays as well. And when you’ve got a player like Calvert-Lewin who can jump, that’s a recipe for success. So those are just three, but I think you need to be wary of the whole team. They need to match them. So a big, big game, but I would say those three are the players to look out for.

Bolton Clearly Miss Cozier-Duberry and Now Have to Keep Him Quiet

Bolton clearly miss Cozier-Duberry. Although Bolton have had some good results this season, you’re always going to miss a player of that quality, and I think everybody knew that he was going to step up eventually and perform. He’s doing that at Boro, and in a good side as well, which helps. So no surprise to see him doing that.

He’s a big player on that right-hand side for Middlesbrough, creating opportunities for Lankshear. And it looks like they’ve got a bit of a relationship going on, those two players. So a huge, huge bonus for Middlesbrough. For Bolton, obviously, he’s a player that they know all about, but they have to try and keep him quiet at the weekend.

Cardiff Can Take Confidence From That Even After Losing a Two-Goal Lead

Absolutely, every game they go into now, they’ll know that they can compete home and away against the best teams in the league. And they’re coming up against one in Blues, who are in fine form. I think they’re maybe the form team in the league over the last five or six games. So they’re going to need to perform again.

But yeah, it’d be disappointing to lose a two-goal lead, but they didn’t lose the game. It would have felt like a loss, but they didn’t lose. So it’s a confidence booster, and I think this is going to be a cracking game.

Jamie Vardy Can Still Get Double Figures If the Chances Come

It just depends on how many opportunities are created for Jamie. He’s probably not at that stage now where he can pick the ball up on the halfway line and run half the length of the pitch and score as he used to, because I’m not sure he’s as quick as he used to be. But he’s still sharp; you’ve seen that with his goal. So you’d like to think Jamie could get into double figures. He knows where the back of the net is, but it’s just about creating opportunities for him, and they haven’t been coming. Those chances have been few and far between this season.

So hopefully he can go on a run now. We’ve all seen what he can do if he gets on a roll. He’s unstoppable at times, so they’re going to need him to step up and score goals if they want to stay in that league.

Nobody Is Under More Pressure at Norwich Than the Manager

It’s that stage of the season where we keep talking about all these managers, 11 games in. If you’re not winning games at a huge football club like Norwich, the pressure’s on. A lot of people were talking about them being promotion contenders. They’re looking far from that. So the pressure is definitely on. There’s a lot of pressure on the manager and the players. Again, it’s down to them to all step up now and get results.

They’re sitting 21st, they’ve only had three wins, they’ve got nine points, and they lost at home to Portsmouth in the last game, which they shouldn’t be doing, and they have. So it’s a tough, tough start. So yeah, everybody’s under pressure, no more so than the manager.