Successive victories against Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur have created a feelgood factor around Lotus Training Centre, and it’s one that Head Coach Daniel Farke doesn’t want to go away any time soon.
“The last game was a perfect example of how much fun and joy football can spread over the whole community,” he said, speaking to the media on Friday. “It was a great win at Tottenham, and we wrote a bit of history for this club, getting to the quarter finals for the first time in 28 years.
“People were dancing and celebrating and that’s what football is all about – to make people happy, to allow them to celebrate together and sometimes be disappointed together. That unity and togetherness is why we play football, otherwise you would choose an individual sport.
“Back to back wins are even better for the mood, especially against such good sides like Leicester and Tottenham. In the end, it was a dramatic penalty shootout. We’ll go with this confidence into the crunch time period of the season and everything is still possible.
“We’re still in a difficult position and it will be a long road to make sure we are allowed to play in the Premier League, but we will try everything to make this little miracle happen.”
Speaking of said miracle, the fabled 40-point mark is often talked about as the target sides need to reach to ensure safety in the topflight, but the boss insists he’s not looking too far ahead.
“We probably need to come as close as possible to 40 points,” he accepted. “If we get 30 points out of the last ten games, it will definitely be enough! To be honest, I don’t look so far ahead and I’m just sure that 21 points won’t be enough.
“We go into every game in order to win it anyhow, not to avoid a loss, but to attack and win. That’s still our spirit. We’ll fight for the three points in the next game and that’s all that matters.
“We are realistic, and we know which position we are in. We’re not too carried away. I don’t want to stop the feelgood factor because we’ve had to handle disappointing situations this season, but I don’t see any danger of us being over-confident. We’ll take it into the next game, and we will need it in a difficult task against Sheffield United.”
The Blades were of course promoted alongside Norwich at the end of last season but have hugely surpassed expectations with their first season back in the Premier League.
“I’m full of respect for them and the job Chris Wilder has done,” Farke added. “They do an outstanding job for a team that’s promoted, but you can’t compare them with us because they have a different approach.
“They were already solid in defending last season and he has stuck to those players. They’re used to playing with each other. In the offense, they were able to add some quality players.
“We’ve played them several times over recent seasons and they more or less have the same philosophy. They know our squad perhaps better than any other team on this level because of that. It’s always a difficult game and both teams know they have to be on the top of their game to get a successful result.”