The Canaries sit seventh in the Championship – three points behind Sunderland in fourth but just two points ahead of Millwall in 14th.
Norwich have also lost five of their last seven matches in all competitions and have been inconsistent since a positive start to the campaign that saw them go five games unbeaten.
A 2-1 defeat to Swansea was the latest setback in a tough run of matches that has seen them struggle to produce performances capable of building on that solid start.
Stacey arrived in the summer with aspirations of helping Norwich reach the top six and improve on a wretched end to the campaign that saw them win one of their last 11 fixtures. He has made a positive personal contribution to date.
In spite of a dip in performance and results, Stacey is confident that they will stabilise their form and attack the matches on the horizon having learned tough but necessary lessons.
“We are where we deserve to be after 10 games but we’ve learned a lot of lessons as well. We are a stronger team than where we are in the league. As long as we take those lessons on then I feel like we’re still in a good place.
“Some of the performances where we’ve played against good teams have been good,” Stacey said. There haven’t been loads of periods where you think that we haven’t been in games, but there have been a couple.
“We’ve got a good group with good experience on and off the pitch. When tough days happen then it is a chance for us to show our mentality, and I think we have a good one. That will be massive.”
Stacey has formed part of a back five that has started all 10 of their Championship matches with Shane Duffy, Angus Gunn and the ex-Bournemouth right-back having played every minute of the campaign to date.
Whilst boss David Wagner has preferred to make changes in other areas of the pitch, he has kept his defensive set-up consistent.
That has been thrown into question by some supporters after Norwich were beaten 2-1 by Swansea in South Wales on Wednesday night.
Many are arguing that hasn’t aided the mistakes that have slipped into their game, but Stacey is countering those criticisms with the argument that allowing a defensive core time to gel is beneficial to a team in the long run.
“A strong defensive unit is a sign of a lot of successful teams over the years,” Stacey said. “That is something we want to do and we do a lot of work together.
“Defending comes from all over the pitch and is something we work on a team. Hopefully the results will turn into clean sheets and less goals conceded will help us win matches.
“It is small margins of error because the game could have gone either way. We are definitely feeling frustrated.”
That exposure to plenty of football was a major factor in attracting Stacey to Norwich in the summer after a season on the fringes at Bournemouth.
He has won plaudits of his performances and willingness to join attacking phases and even though Norwich’s collective displays have been inconsistent, Stacey is loving life in Norfolk.
“I’ve enjoyed it a lot. This is what I wanted to do – within football, you want to be able to experience everything.
“It’s going to be a long journey but I’m pleased to be on the pitch consistently and showing what I can do.
“The fitness levels have all come from pre-season. The manager wants the full backs to play in a certain way and the more that you play in a system, you get used to the fitness demands of it.
“It’s tough in the Championship when you go three times a week but I want to be able to do jobs in my own box and the other box,” Stacey said. “That is what I am focussed on.”
Stacey’s focus now on ensuring Norwich produce a quick response to their latest defeat away at Coventry and head into the upcoming international break in a more positive mood than was the case last month.
“After the Rotherham game, that one really hurt me because we had a break the week after and you spend the whole two weeks thinking about this game,” he said.
“The positive thing about tonight is that we have the chance to go away again. We’ve had a talk in the dressing room and that is what we all want to do.”
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