Philippe Clement doesn’t do false modesty. But he does do measured bullishness.
Asked ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup Fifth Round trip to Leeds United whether his side were capable of competing at Premier League level, the Norwich City head coach offered a response that left little room for doubt.
“I believe against every opponent that on one day we can win against every team in the world. I believe that, and I think my players believe that also now,” he said.
A few months ago, that sort of statement would have raised eyebrows aplenty around Carrow Road. Now, on the back of the run City have been on since the Belgian’s appointment in November, it feels far less fanciful.
A familiar face in the home dugout
The tie, which kicks off at 16:30 at Elland Road, brings with it the sort of sub-plot that football loves to serve up. Daniel Farke, the man who delivered two Championship titles during his time here, will, of course, be the one greeting Clement before kick-off.
But our record at Elland Road makes for grim reading. One win in their last eight visits. The sole bright spot? That 3-1 victory during that glorious 2018-19 title charge, which Farke himself masterminded.
Since then, Leeds have had the upper hand in this fixture. A sickening 4-0 hammering in May 2024 in the playoff semifinal and a 2-0 defeat in January 2025 are the most recent. But Clement’s bullishness knows no bounds, and there have been far fewer ‘along come Norwich’ moments of late, even when we thought them almost certain.
And he’s embraced the challenge of playing elite level opposition.
Testing themselves at a higher level
“It’s good to compete at that level and to see how our players can perform at that level,” Clement said.
City got here by seeing off Walsall and then West Brom, while Leeds needed penalties to get past Birmingham after beating Derby in the Third Round. Neither side has had a free ride.
The stats, apparently, give Leeds a 42% chance of progressing, with Norwich at around 34% and a draw at 25%. A (surprisingly) tight game, in other words, which would probably suit City just fine.
The injury list nobody wanted
The squad Clement takes to West Yorkshire will be missing many pieces. Among the famous 15 are Ante Crnac and Mirko Topic – both long-term absentees with cruciate ligament tears – Amankwah Forson, Matej Jurasek, Jovon Makama and Mohamed Toure. Of the joys.
It would be understandable if Clement’s mind had started drifting towards the summer and how to rebuild. He’s not having it though.
“I’m not looking at next season. I want to have excitement now. That’s about wins. It’s about good football. It’s about clean sheets. It’s about the energy with the fans,” he said.
“We have so many things still to do now, and we still have so many things to improve.”
That focus on the here and now has been one of the defining features of his tenure so far. He inherited a squad in need of direction and has given it exactly that. And we’re soooo grateful.
What to expect on Sunday
Leeds will be favourites… obviously. But City have been good, and Clement’s conviction has been backed up by recent results.
If City play to the level they’ve shown in recent weeks, and Farke rests a few of his players for their pending relegation battle, this could be a proper FA Cup tie.
