Earlier in the week a question was raised about how Johannes Hoff Thorup would cope with an “English week”, with three games in quick succession.

I think it would be fair to say that thus far he’s done it pretty well, having negotiated two really tricky away trips, despite Angus Gunn being joined on the injury list by Marcelino Nunez before half-time at the bet365 Stadium.

Stoke, resurgent under Narcis Pelach, and Preston, hard to score against and unbeaten at home since the first game of the season, were significant challenges and to return with a point from each, while being frustrated at not winning at least one, is further evidence of how far the squad has progressed.

So much has changed, not least the side’s ability to really dig in and grind out a result, which we saw different aspects of in the two games.

At Stoke, the Canaries came under significant pressure in the second half but never looked like wilting, whereas at Preston they had the sort of nightmare start that would have almost certainly led to a thumping last season.

However, not only did they battle their way back into the game, but they finished it with Preston absolutely on their knees as they were pinned into their own half and reliant on the occasional breakaway.

That’s significant because in the last couple of seasons fans have dreaded the last 20 minutes of games as City sides routinely ran out of steam.

Set-pieces for opponents also used to have fans on the edges of their seats as City’s zonal marking system was constantly found wanting, triggering many a debate about whether City should revert to a man-to-man system.

However, as is often the case, it’s not so much a question of any particular system being superior, it’s how well it’s executed that really matters, and now City look very adept at dealing with set-pieces, even against physical teams like Stoke and Preston.

There are still issues that need to be addressed, though. The first of these is profligacy in possession. On several occasions in both games, City invited pressure by either dwelling too long on the ball or being careless with the weight of pass, and so created opportunities for the opposition.

Inevitably, given that Thorup’s system requires players to accept the ball in tight areas this is always likely to be a danger, but hopefully the arrival of Jack Wilshere, who as a player was brilliant on the ball, will help with that.

City also cannot afford the sort of sloppy start produced by George Long and his back four at Deepdale. Although Long has attracted plenty of criticism for his recklessness in conceding the penalty and not stopping a shot that appeared to go through him, on both occasions he was left exposed by his defenders in the first place.

A win tomorrow would cap off what has been a pretty momentous week for the club after the final ratification of Mark Attanasio and his group’s status as majority shareholders on Wednesday evening.

It really is the end of an era, and it is good to see the very real appreciation being shown towards Delia Smith and Michael Wynn Jones, without whom the club might not exist.

There will be those who would argue that they held on too long as the game moved from millionaires to Gulf States owning clubs, but resisting the overtures of unsuitable suitors is very different to the myth that they would never part with it.

They made Norwich City into the widely admired community club that it is today, always making it clear that they would require any new owner to protect that status, and I am confident that Attanasio will do just that, as well as driving City on as a footballing entity.

The club could not be in better hands.