It is that time of the year where the statisticians sit down to dish out the likelihood of a side getting demoted, winning the silverware or finishing in the play-off spots in the Championship. Amongst the pool of various sides, Norwich City are a team who still yearn a likelihood of crawling into the top six this season. The Canaries are separated by merely 7 points from Sheffield Wednesday and let’s not forget that they have got a game in hand. But the scenario spices up owing to the fact that they have a derby to play on Sunday.
Ipswich Town may currently be a side loitering aimlessly in the lower half of the league table but there is still a charm and lots of bragging rights involved in the East Anglian Derby. The Tractor Boys would fancy spoiling the optimistic mood at the Carrow Road and without any shadow of a doubt, Alex Neil must choose a side which aims to outclass their derby rivals from the kick-off whistle. Importantly, there is a dire need for their defenders, including the promising Mitchell Dijks to step up and deliver, for it matters the most now.
The on-loan Ajax defender has had a stellar start in the English soil ever since his January transfer window move because in a short spell of 4 appearances, he has won 10 tackles with a handsome success rate of 59%, has made 11 interceptions, 1 block and 14 clearances apart from creating 2 goal scoring chances. Dijks is a left-back who has been inking his name in the good books of the football fraternity and would surely be looking forward to leaving a mark by mustering a good outing against Ipswich Town in the derby. But does he have the ingredients available in his veins to do?
Absolutely. The 24-year-old is pretty much a modern-day full-back who would steer into the final third with a lightening pace, and chips in with one-twos with the attackers and midfielders. Besides, with his tall frame of 6 ft. 4 in., he is a proven battalion in dealing with aerial threats and not to mention that he definitely knows a thing or two in keeping a perfect balance between his attacking and defending endeavours.
Mick McCarthy’s men would have to be wary of a player of notable pedigree and is hungry to prove his mettle. He isn’t someone who is going to sit back; rather he is someone who will put the wheels back on the rails to turn the tides of time in favour of his employers.
Expecting a nail-biting derby?
Statistics Credits: Squawka.
