“Emi Buendia had an unbelievably undisciplined red card, missed three competitive games, he missed the start of the season and missed two weeks because of injury. Emi was involved in every training session this week but I never pick a team because of the name, I just pick a team that is really greedy to represent this yellow shirt.”
This was the start of a player of the season campaign that has left some pondering the best Championship campaign of all time.
Daniel Farke was frustrated and angry with the attitude problems that had kept his star player from being involved in the first four games of a crucial season for the club, with question marks over whether his Argentine brilliance would be seen on the Carrow Road pitch again.
Buendia’s Norwich City career was hanging finely in the balance, and Farke’s move was a risk that could’ve inspired perfection or acted as the last straw. What has happened since is evidence of the German’s genius, as he takes the Canaries back to the promised land for the second time in three years.
With two games left to play, Buendia has 14 goals and 17 assists to his name, creating a chance per 90 more than any other Championship player and boasting the highest average WhoScored rating of any player in the division.
Teemu Pukki’s failure to break into even the top three shows how good a provider Buendia has become, the Finn striking 25 times but from such a wealth of changes that he wasn’t even considered by most fans.
Grant Hanley has been part of a centre-back partnership that’s been nothing short of revolutionary to this City team, yet he was a comfortable second to the number 17.
Oliver Skipp has been arguably the best defensive midfielder to take to the Carrow Road pitch, and the greatest loan signing in the club’s history, but his performances haven’t been enough to beat Buendia. His return to the side against Derby was admittedly disappointing, trademark fluidity and link-up play missing after such a long period out of the eleven.
In a 2-1 win at Rotherham, he showed flashes of brilliance and was, of course, involved in Jordan Hugill’s 95th-minute winner, but he still wasn’t quite there.
Where things really got going was Ashton Gate. Buendia’s sublime touch to take Ben Gibson’s long pass down not only produced a goal of the season contender but acted as the catalyst for a series of brilliant performances, as the Canaries fought their way through November to march to the top of the Championship.
A 3-2 win at Stoke was the absolute epitome of the Argentinian, his brilliance a huge part in the incredible first 60 minutes, before a rash challenge on a yellow card earned him his third sending off in a Norwich shirt. He put his whole team at risk but had already earned them the three points.
Assists and goals followed in their droves in an impressive December, before a classic Neil Warnock side earned Buendia an unjust second red card of the season. The two games he missed were evidence of his importance, City failing to create in a 0-0 draw with Millwall and a 2-0 loss at Swansea that felt fatal, before the Canaries ramped up the style to walk promotion in the final phases.
What’s best about supporting a team with Emi Buendia in it is that he’s so much more than stats, and that no matter how much we quote the expected goals he’s created or the assists or the key passes, that doesn’t account for the beauty with which he completes them.
Whether it’s a clever flick, an outrageous nutmeg or the simply sublime technique on his volleyed diagonals, each fan has a different story to tell about what they saw when they watched Buendia. Here are some of them on his brilliance:
Ben Ambrose, Norwich Talk: “Goodness me, I love him. He’s the best player I’ve ever seen play for Norwich. This season he’s put the work in and he’s perfected his game. He’s just so good.”
Mick Dennis, Retired Sports Journalist and National Sports Editor: “Emi personifies the Webberlution: recruited by searching through data, improved by coaching, utilised brilliantly … and very probably sold on at enormous profit.
“I think Daniel Farke deserves enormous credit for trusting, improving and eventually getting the very best from Emi, who was a long way down the pecking order when the 18/19 season began and who used to lose possession and — instead of tracking back — used to get visibly frustrated with himself and others.
“Farke and the other coaches obviously had to work on his weaknesses so as to get the absolute best of his strengths. I don’t think we’ve ever seen a City player with those strengths in such abundance and such sublime combinations.”
Gary Gowers, MyFootballWriter Editor: “I’m already on record as saying that Emi is one of the best players I’ve ever seen wear the yellow and green, but I’m now wrestling with the ‘one of’ part of that sentence.
“It’s hard to think of a player who has dominated City’s productivity in quite the same way although, of course, his stats remain uncontested as many of his peers were of a pre-statistics era. But, comparisons aside, he will go down as one of the greats and in years to come, he will be lauded in the same way as Butler, Davies, Peters, Crook and Huckerby.
“I really hope the Barry Butler curse doesn’t strike and we end up losing our most prized possession, but if football politics dictate that he must depart to ‘sexier’, more affluent climes, they bloody well better look after him.”
Stuart Hodge, Journalist and Commentator: “I think Emi used being left out as a springboard of sorts and he has played at a level very, very few players have reached in the second tier this season.
“His contributions in terms of both goals and assists have been outstanding, but some of the passes he plays and his overall creative contribution goes well beyond both of those two statistical categories alone.
“I believe City would still have been promoted regardless of Emi’s contributions but in so many of the tighter games a single moment of quality has been the difference and he has provided a multitude of those.
“Not many players have ever had this kind of season at this level. It’s been a staggering campaign from the Argentine and he has been the absolute standout player in a squad full of brilliant contributors.
“Long live Football Heaven!”
In a season where so many have deserved praise, Emi Buendia has come out on top of them all. Like so many of the current Canaries crop, he still has something to prove in the Premier League. But if anyone can, Emi can.
Greatest loan signing? I mean, yeah, he’s been great but I reckon Hucks may want a word….
Talent wise, no contest; Emi is the best we’ve ever had. His assist numbers would be higher still if Pukki had scored some of the several very decent chances he has missed over the season. A very worthy POTS.
But Maddison still shades the “best ever” argument for me – he performed fantastically in an average team; kept us up single handedly; and didn’t get sent off to miss crucial games. And his transfer fee kept our club alive.
The stats for wins and losses when Norwich have played with or without Buendia tell it all. With Buendia Norwich have been phenomenal – not just this season but in 2018/9 as well where he was probably even more pivotal to our success then than now. Without him we have looked fairly ordinary by comparison. It is no surprise that from losing to Leeds 3-0 in August 2018 and Buendia subsequently starting regularly that the club has not looked back. And don’t forget his record chance contribution in December 2019 in the Premiership or being second only to Kevin De Bruyne in a pitiful relegation season. Farke wanted more goals and he has banged in 14 – from midfield. It would be nice to see him stay just one season more and Norwich to do well in the Prem for once.
The guy is sensational, he’s 24 and approaching his prime and notched up over 100 appearances for City.
I remember posting on MFW mid way through the 2018-19 season that he was the most complete player I’ve ever seen at City, somehow two years on he’s twice as good. As you state Sam, we’ve D F and his staff to thank for that.
I love players who when they receive the ball, create an air of expectation, Hoddle, Gazza and for me collectively the greatest team I witnessed, Brazil in 1970, Pele, Jairzinho, Tostao, Carlos Alberto, etc. It’s a crying shame Emi has played the entire season behind closed doors but had we been there in person it would have been ear splitting.
The ‘Emi & Teemu Show’ must be one of the great City double acts of all time, if we still have them both next season we’ve a much better chance of doing well. However, whatever happens Emi is a rare treasure and will always be ‘one of us’.
Left field thought, Webber and DF go to Spurs, they take Emi and Max with them and already have Skipp on side. Not that I want any of that to happen mind you. I want all of these people to say at NCFC. However, can you imagine what SW and DF could do with the resources that Spurs have. They would all have my best wishes for the wonderful work they have done at our club. OTBC.
Been going to CR since 1960.
Never seen a player as good. He can see things that only extremely gifted players can see.
There are no limit to what he can achieve, certain when showing of his skills in the PL,
He will come to the notice of his national team, and will be capped within 2 years.
That’s saying something considering what wonderful players Argentina produce.