Seven years after guiding Huddersfield Town to the Premier League, David Wagner finds himself dreaming of another Wembley fairytale.
On a glorious spring afternoon, he sits in his office at Norwich’s training ground, taking a quiet moment to reflect on the season before Sunday’s Championship play-off semi-final first leg against Leeds United and a return to Carrow Road for Daniel Farke.
Even by the Championship’s chaotic standards, Wagner’s first full season in charge has been a rollercoaster of emotions, one he hopes will have a happy ending.
Football loves a revival story, and on November 5, after a 3-1 home defeat by Blackburn, Norwich found themselves languishing in 17th place in the table, with fans calling for their manager’s dismissal.
However, Wagner orchestrated an impressive turnaround, securing 56 points from 31 matches, including a run of 15 league games unbeaten at home, which included a victory over rivals Ipswich Town. This surge has brought Norwich within three games of promotion to the Premier League.
“If you consider how the season started, and my start 18 months ago, it’s a very exciting story,” he tells Telegraph Sport. “We want to create something extraordinary and very special. The Premier League is where you want to be.
“Promotion with Huddersfield was something remarkable, and I feel blessed to have a second chance to experience it again.
“We have a 25 per cent chance for promotion, and the first step is to make it a 50 per cent chance. I’m not a dreamer; I work to make things happen.”
Confidence boost from most famous fan
Wagner points to a surprise phone call from Delia Smith, the joint majority shareholder, as a turning point in the season.
The call came after the Blackburn defeat, which marked the club’s worst start to a Championship season since relegation to League One in 2008. Sporting director Stuart Webber, who appointed Wagner, was also on the way out, and the situation appeared bleak.
“Delia does not call me often; it was actually the first time,” says Wagner. “It was one of the moments which gave me a super-boost.
“Delia told me that she totally believed in me and to keep going. She did it at exactly the right moment when I maybe needed a boost and support from the owner who makes the decisions.
“This was something that really helped me, and I’m happy for her that it’s paid off for her too.”
Three team meetings followed in Norwich’s analysis theatre over the next four weeks, which Wagner insists were pivotal. Calls for unity and individual responsibility were the main thrust of the talks, and the results have been clear to see.
Since November 5, only Leicester City, Ipswich Town, Southampton, and Leeds United have picked up more points in the division.
‘Hopefully the cherry on the top is promotion’
There remains some scepticism over the 52-year-old among the fan base and local media, but Wagner believes there has been tangible progress.
“Even through the bad results, I was still searching for solutions, rather than losing my head. I still tried to navigate the club through a crisis with calmness,” he says. “We were missing key players through injury, so we knew what our problems were.
“It was a very difficult period for the whole football club. If I look back, I think we can say it was a club that was anything but unified.
“It was everyone against the board, the sporting director, me, the owner. It is a huge achievement to recover from this, and hopefully, the cherry on the cake is promotion.”
Wagner has seen clear improvements from last season, when Norwich finished a disappointing 13th. He says his squad are in the top three for fitness in the league. Under the guidance of coach Andy Hughes, they have scored 18 goals from set-pieces.
Wagner also notes the impact of goalkeeping coach Paul Clements and first-team coach Narcis Pelach, who have worked alongside his trusted No. 2, Christoph Buhler, since arriving this season.
“My coaching staff is the best I’ve ever worked with, and that makes you a better manager,” he says.
“This is the best and most competitive Championship I’ve seen, far better than when I was at Huddersfield seven years ago.
“The amount of top-quality individuals – players and managers – is just incredible.”
Norwich have a number of players who have caught the eye this season. Gabriel Sara, the Brazilian midfielder, has been outstanding with 13 goals and 12 assists. A £6 million signing from Sao Paulo, Sara is rated as potentially a better prospect than former players James Maddison and Emiliano Buendia.
Josh Sargent, the USA international, has scored 16 goals, while ultra-consistent midfielder Kenny McLean was named Player of the Year.
‘We are super ambitious’
When we visit Norwich’s training ground, the mood is buoyant. Donuts are available in the canteen as part of Jonathan Rowe’s recent 21st birthday celebrations, and the players are all eating together after training.
Weekly itineraries are plastered all over the walls. On the morning we attend, there was an end-of-season psychology meeting followed by a session for the squad’s wide players.
Sam McCallum, the full-back, is in the training ground pool with Hughes reviewing a set-piece drill with him on screens.
It now all comes down to two matches with Leeds – relegated from the Premier League last season and under the management of Farke, who spent four years with Norwich.
Wagner insists the pressure is all on their opponents. “One of Leeds or Southampton will fail to win promotion, and that is something that I think will cause them a lot of trouble,” he says. “Leeds are a big club with big players, big money, and big pressure.
“When you consider the financial power of the other clubs in the play-offs, and the points they collected, I think it’s fair to say they are the favorites.
“We are the underdogs, and we have no problem with this. We don’t fear anybody. We have to be humble, focused on ourselves, and give it a proper go.
“We are super-ambitious and so keen to make something special happen.”
And with that, Wagner picks up his electric bike and helmet before cycling back to his Norwich apartment. These are the moments he lives for, and a repeat of 2017 is tantalizingly in his grasp.
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