Chris Sutton: Why talk of an Ipswich reunion must be muted

All Norwich need to focus on is the next game, as boring and cliche as that sounds. Don't focus on who they can get or the possibility of overcoming them - if they do that, then they will come up a cropper. 

The reality is, over the season, I'm happier if I'm an Ipswich Town player than I am if I'm a Norwich City player. They have it in their hands to get automatic promotion.

Who has been the better team over the season? Ipswich have. Norwich have had their moments and they deserved to win - but when you start suggesting that you prefer one team over another, you stand to get a big dollop of egg on your face. 

There would be no need for extra motivation from Ipswich, but Norwich cannot underestimate them—he who laughs last laughs loudest. Any talk along those lines is a major no-no and they would be wise to avoid it. 

Everyone knows it will likely be one of Leeds, Leicester or Ipswich. All three are daunting and difficult challenges for Norwich - they should not be ranked, compared or underestimated. They are equally as tough regardless of results in the regular campaign. 

Leeds and Leicester have had a bit of a wobble, which is what made their performance on Easter Monday so disappointing, but in fairness, they bounced back against Ipswich. 

Bearing in mind how good Ipswich have been, I thought they were really naive against Norwich. They never threatened in behind until Ali Al-Hamadi came on in the final 10 minutes of the game and tested them in the way they should have done from the off. 

I like Kieffer Moore, but against Shane Duffy and Ben Gibson it was the type of challenge they would have preferred. They would sooner tussle with him rather than being stretched in behind. 

Norwich didn't dominate possession, but they were comfortable and unlucky not to add more goals on the break, but they weren't ruthless enough, as was the case against Sheffield Wednesday. 

The 14 games and 15 years thing - I can understand the jubilation from Norwich fans, and they should be celebrating a victory over their rivals, but the bottom line is that the priority is promotion. 

If you offered Norwich fans one defeat and a draw against Ipswich but promotion to the Premier League, I think most would have taken it. Just as Kieran McKenna will if that is how the season concludes. 

I thought Ipswich's performance was flat. At Portman Road, they really tested Norwich, but they struggled to get anything going. City deserve credit for really limiting them in front of goal. 

Borja Sainz and the threat he carries—I really like him. He's always a danger and is beginning to add output to his game. He had a slow start, but he's growing in importance. Maybe he's gone under the radar because of what Josh Sargent is producing. 

But Norwich, even after Tuesday's draw to Sheffield Wednesday, are in a hell of a position with four games left. Now they need to finish the job. That is why talk of who they could face in the play-offs needs to be silenced inside the dressing room. 

They need to finish the season strongly and make sure they have decent momentum. They won't be favourites if they get there, but right now - they have to finish the job and worry about what comes later. 

Performance-wise, Norwich are in a pretty good place. I haven't felt that all season. Sargent is showing what a crucial player he is and his goals have been massive. His ratio of goals to game is phenomenal, really. 

I've seen several people say 'what if' he would have available all season - and I have wondered the same. Norwich would likely be in a far different position, but that is not how football works. 

He can be a massive player in their pursuit of the play-offs. If they get there, any side will be worried about the threat he poses along with Norwich's other attacking talent like Sainz and Gabriel Sara. 

But, and I will reiterate it, they need to make sure they get their first. If they fail to beat Preston, then things could begin to get a bit nervy. 

It's not been a bad week despite the Sheffield Wednesday result. It could have been better, but it's about margins—they cannot afford to slip up, and they need a result against Preston. 

It is an enormous game. Norwich can put them away and build an eight-point gap with a victory. If they lose, that would fall to two with Preston having a game in hand. The stakes could not be higher. 

The challenge is finding the right balance. You cannot go into any game thinking about being cautious. 

When Wagner came in, the perception was that he was going to be all-out attack and gun-ho, but it hasn't been that way. He's been overly cautious, if anything. 

Norwich have to keep playing as they have been. The balance against Ipswich was spot on. They kept them quiet whilst having a threat themselves. It cannot be the same approach as the one they adopted away at Leicester where they couldn't get up the pitch and, as Kenny McLean said, weren't brave enough. 

You don't have to be stupid with that courage - balance is the key. That has to be found at Deepdale. 

Norwich City squandered a lead against Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday night. (Image: Matt Wilkinson/Focus Images Ltd)

SUTTON EXTRA

Tuesday's draw with Sheffield Wednesday is another reminder that Norwich City must keep their eye on the ball in their push for a top-six finish. 

There are some really odd results in the Championship at the best of times, but particularly on Tuesday night with Millwall beating Leicester and Leeds failing to beat Sunderland. 

It will all come out in the wash if Norwich end up finishing sixth, but last night was a game where, if they miss out by a point, it would be one they look to because it seemed so comfortable. 

They had opportunities to win the game. It was pretty dominant before they let two in from set plays. I suspect David Wagner will have been bitterly disappointed by the nature of the goals they conceded and their lack of cutting-edge.

I'm pretty sure the players would have been feeling sick on the coach home on Tuesday night knowing they had dropped another two points. That would have put them really close to securing their top-six place. 

At this stage of the season, there are no gimmes and the vast majority of teams are competing for something. Those at the bottom can be really dangerous when they are fighting for their lives, as Sheffield Wednesday proved. 

The away form has to be a bit of a concern - they've only managed to beat two teams in the bottom half - Stoke and Huddersfield - on their travels this season. That doesn't half put an immense amount of pressure on maintaining their excellent form at Carrow Road. 

A point isn't a disaster, and four points from those two games isn't a bad return. If the results were flipped, I think most people would have accepted that. 

But it was the nature of the dropped points that irks. There will be a massive disappointment with their away form, but they cannot view it like that. It's one to use as fuel for the future. 

They cannot afford to let it affect them. In recent times, after setbacks at Middlesbrough and Ipswich, they have been excellent at bouncing back. They need to do that again in a massive game against Preston.