Nunez: I left Norwich for Ipswich to become a champion

Marcelino Nunez is sitting in the quiet of an empty Portman Road but he knows a very different scene awaits him over the border from Suffolk to Norfolk on Saturday. The man who crossed the divide is in for a hot reception back at Carrow Road.

Nunez became the first player since Andy Marshall in 2001 to move from Norwich to Ipswich when he completed his £10m switch in August. A few weeks later, having scored the goal that settled the previous East Anglian derby in Norwich's favour, he helped Ipswich beat their rivals for the first time in 16 years with a 3-1 win.

"It was an important challenge because Ipswich hadn't beaten Norwich in so long and I had helped to extend that run even further," he tells Sky Sports. "It was a big task but we managed to turn it around and end the run and I was really happy about it."

That was clear from his celebrations that day at Portman Road, when he waved a corner flag in front of jubilant Ipswich fans after coming off the bench to set up the third goal against his old club.

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Saturday 11th April 11:00am

Kick off 12:30pm

"It was natural, it just came to me spontaneously," he says, looking over to the corner flag in question from his seat in the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand. "In South America, when you win a big derby you celebrate a lot and that South American side of me came out a bit.

"It was an emotional and important day. The coach talked about the fact we had that pressure of 16 years without winning the derby. I was motivated to end that run. Thank God we managed to do it.

"A derby has to be won and it has to be celebrated."

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The events of the last meeting add extra spice to Saturday's fixture, live on Sky Sports. But Nunez is unfazed by the hostility that awaits him at Carrow Road. The Chile international, who joined Norwich from Universidad Catolica in 2022, feels he is well-equipped to cope.

"In South America the derbies, the clásicos, are more intense, with more pressure," he explains, speaking in his native Spanish. "And I think that works in my favour because I've played under pressure.

Image: Marcelino Nunez celebrates after helping Ipswich beat Norwich 3-1 in October

Image: Marcelino Nunez helped set up the third goal scored by Jack Clarke

"I know there is going to be a bit more heat on me, because of the fans and because of what happened with my transfer, but it motivates me. I'm motivated to face the game on Saturday.

"When you step on the pitch, you forget all your problems and everything that's happening outside. You have to focus on the game, carry out your task well and always be positive.

I know there's going to be a bit more heat on me, because of the fans and because of what happened with my transfer, but it motivates me

"The game is going to be emotional. It's an important one for both sides in a derby that they say is the biggest in England.

"Our mentality, and my mentality, is to take three points and win."

Why he chose Ipswich

In-form Norwich will of course do everything they can to avoid such an outcome. But for Ipswich, a point behind Millwall in third place with three games in hand on the team above them, it is a chance to take another step closer to the Premier League.

That Premier League ambition was the main attraction for Nunez.

"I was very clear about my goal, which was to fight for the championship, so that's why I made the decision to move to Ipswich.

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Ipswich boosted their promotion chances by beating Birmingham in their last game

"The fans welcomed me incredibly well, even though I came from a rival, and overall I'm very happy with the team and with the manager.

"We are very united and also focused on our objective, which is to get promoted to the Premier League."

The move, announced with a tap of the badge and a wink in Ipswich's signing video, caused acrimony, angering fans of his former club as much as it delighted those of his new one.

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The Sky Sports Essential EFL podcast analyses Saturday's game

Nunez, though, did not agonise over it. He insists he bears no ill-will to Norwich. "It was a very positive step in my career because they opened doors for me to play in Europe." But he felt Ipswich, under Kieran McKenna, offered a better chance of achieving his ambitions.

"It wasn't a very complicated decision because my mentality is to become a champion. With my previous team in Chile, I became a champion five times, and that's my mindset, to win titles.

I was very clear about my goal, which was to fight for the championship, so that's why I made the decision to move to Ipswich

"It's something coach McKenna had as well. He's an excellent coach for me. I also saw that they had a lot of resources to establish themselves as a strong team and fight for promotion."

Thriving under McKenna

Nunez has certainly played his part this season, albeit while managing some unfortunate injury interruptions. When available, the 26-year-old has brought the same creativity, set-piece prowess, goal threat and energy to the No 10 role that he showed at Norwich.

Image: Ipswich have achieved far better results with Marcelino Nunez starting

His importance can be seen in their record with and without him. Ipswich have a win rate of 70 per cent in the 20 games Nunez has started this season compared to just 32 per cent in the 24 he hasn't.

"I am just a small piece of the puzzle," he says when the statistic is put to him. "I think we are all important in the team, those who play and even those who are injured.

"I think all of us, as a group, transmit something positive. Whether I play or I don't play, I try to stay positive and help those who play and those who don't, always transmitting something good."

Nunez's total of eight assists is only bested by a handful of players in the Championship and there have also been three goals, including two free-kicks in a 4-1 win over QPR in November.

Long-range specialist

Marcelino Nunez's total of 10 goals from outside the box is the joint-highest by any player in the Championship since the start of the 2022/23 season, level with Burnley's Zian Flemming.

He credits McKenna for his impact.

"He is one of the best coaches I've had in my career up until now," he says. "He organises the training sessions incredibly well, he's very intelligent, he knows how to keep the dressing room united, and he gives the players lots of confidence.

"He makes you feel calm, without any pressure. You just have to do what he asks of you. I try to prepare in the best way in training, in recovery, in terms of my diet as well. On a personal level, I'm relaxed."

Premier League dream

He is similarly relaxed about Ipswich's promotion prospects, with Norwich the first, and most hotly-anticipated, of their seven remaining Championship games. Reaching the Premier League, he says, would allow him to realise a childhood dream.

"I always dreamt about it but I never imagined going to England would happen so quickly and being a step away from the Premier League," he says. "It's something incredible that's happening and it's close, so we just have to focus on each match.

Image: Marcelino Nunez is known for his set-piece prowess and long-range shooting

"Now it's Norwich, and there's extra pressure, but we're motivated, and I'm motivated to take it step by step to achieve that, to play in the Premier League. We have the games in hand, so it's up to us.

"What I see in the team is that it's a very solid group. There are very good team-mates and the coach is one of the best I've had in my career. With the team we have, I think we will reach the Premier League. I want to experience that feeling."

First, though, he must feel the heat of Carrow Road.

Watch Norwich vs Ipswich live on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event on Saturday from 11am; kick-off 12.30pm

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