After two wins in their last nine league outings, City welcome Blackburn Rovers to Carrow Road in the hopes of resurrecting what is shaping to be another truly dismal Championship campaign.
Norwich find themselves in the midst again of an awful run with performances and results mirroring those at the back end of last season when, between March and May, they won one game in 11.
Unfortunately for Wagner, the jury is no longer out, with swathes of supporters voicing their discontent across social media and, once again, inside the stadium.
However, I believe that regardless of whether the downward spiral continues, the former Huddersfield Town boss will remain in charge for the foreseeable future as a result of the imminent changes above him, in the shape of Ben Knapper replacing Stuart Webber as sporting director of the football club.
Wagner is on a 12-month rolling contract but it feels from the outside that the walls are closing in on the German. A defeat on Sunday regardless of the performance in the early kick-off, which will played out in front of the nation thanks to the Sky cameras, might finally be the breaking point for the key decision-makers at the club.
But even if it is to be another defeat I truly believe the club will hold its position with Wagner and will hope they can just ride out this tough period until the return of Ashley Barnes and Josh Sargent, whose absences have proved to be vital in regards to how Wagner aims to set his teams up both offensively and defensively.
The main worry for the club should be around how much more the fans are willing to tolerate, as it’s now been two-and-a-half years of incredibly poor and uninspiring football from three managers at both Premier League and Championship level, with continually poor recruitment and dismal styles of football.
The only respite was a purple patch of six games at the beginning of this season, as well as a couple of games against Preston North End and Coventry City at the beginning of Wagner’s tenure last season.
If they are to get the win needed to put foundations in place to turn their season around, Jon Dahl Tomasson’s inconsistent Blackburn may not be the worst side to play. While they currently sit 12th in the Championship, they have proved to be a real mixed bag with regard to results.
During the Canaries’ recent treacherous period, defensively it has been nothing short of a shambles, littered with individual errors both in and out of possession, and has resulted in them conceding nearly 100 shots in their last six games and having some of the worst defensive statistics in the league.
One man looking to exploit that will be Rovers forward Sammie Szmodics. The Irishman has eclipsed his goal tally from the previous campaign already by two goals, averaging a goal every other game in the league so far. Szmodics has proved to be a talismanic figure in the wake of Ben Brereton-Diaz’s summer departure to Villarreal.
On a more positive note for the home fans, it will at least be another opportunity to watch two current stars of the season, Gabriel Sara and Jonathan Rowe, who have been shining lights in what has been an otherwise bleak time.
Through this wretched run, Rowe has pitched in with six goal contributions since the defeat to Rotherham (three assists, three goals), as well as a first-ever goal for his country during the October international break while away with the England U21s.
Sara has also been creating plenty, chipping in with five goal contributions of his own (three goals, two assists), including that truly mesmerising strike in the defeat against returning Daniel Farke’s Leeds.
The dazzling duo will need to be on top form once again as they have proven to become talismanic figures in the absence of Sargent and Barnes. Due to the lack of attacking quality options, it feels like it’s them or nothing at the moment.
One man who will be itching for a start will be Spaniard Borja Sainz. The wide-man arrived on a free this summer from Turkish side Giresunspor and has had some unfortunate luck with long-term and short-term injuries during his time in Norfolk.
Sainz made some positive strides towards regular first-team action when he scored on his return to the side in the Carabao Cup exit to Fulham in September but an impact injury during an U23s fixture delayed his return further. He has been a regular on the bench in recent weeks.
Now could be the time to hand the number 7 his first start as, other than Rowe, the likes of Christian Fassnacht, Tony Springett, Przemysław Placheta, and Onel Hernandez have all been unable to grasp the other wide slot in Wagner’s side, offering absolutely nothing in an attacking sense. Sainz could offer a different dynamic.
It is a must-win for the whole club in all honesty. It feels in freefall currently and if another loss were to occur on Sunday, then Carrow Road could become a very hostile and toxic environment to be in.
All eyes will be on team selection at 11 am.
An attack containing Sara, Rowe and Sainz should cause problems to the likes of Blackburn if they turn up on the mood.
The injury to Gibson has opened up the possibility of Batth showing what he can do. Duffy cam consider himself lucky to still be considered for selection.
The area of most concern will be the weak midfield. All but the blind can now see that we need a combative ball winner screening the back four. If only we had bought one.
Tomorrow is last chance saloon fpr many of these players to prove that they actually want to play for our club. The regular lack of effort and application will lead to an uncomfortable afternoon.
With the appalling set of accounts that have just been issued adding another layer of gloom to a club that is struggling, I can see a Worthington scenario when we lost to Burnley as there is nothing to suggest that we can make it work on the pitch, as we cannot make it work off it.