Jose Cordoba credited Philippe Clement’s half-time intervention for City’s 2-1 comeback victory over Sheffield United.
Speaking after the game to the local media, he said the head coach told his players to calm down and play at their own tempo after a disjointed opening 45 at Carrow Road.
Jairo Riedewald’s well-taken 21st-minute strike had given Chris Wilder’s Blades a deserved lead, with City struggling to find any rhythm in the first half. But second-half goals from Jack Stacey (68′) and Amankwah Forson (84′) completed the turnaround, extending City’s run to an outstanding eight wins from their last 10 Championship matches.
Cordoba said the change came directly from the dressing room, and he pointed to Clement’s composure at the break as the catalyst. The Belgian clearly opted for a measured approach rather than a rollicking, and rather than raise the temperature, he opted to lower it, and reminded the squad of what they do well and what needed to change.
Clement’s Approach
That half-time talk was classic Clement, and reflected his management style perfectly since arriving at Norwich. His instinct when a game turns against us tends to be to reinforce confidence rather than demand more or throw teacups.
It is an approach that appears to have worked by building trust across a squad that has been stretched thin by injuries.
Clement confirmed the tone of his halftime ‘talk’ after the match. “We were a bit sloppy early on, we weren’t playing our normal football, and at half-time it was a case of telling the players to calm down and remind them what they were doing well and telling them what they should be doing better,” he said.
The result (again) bore out his measured approach.
Stacey headed home from a Jacob Wright corner to level, and then Forson, on the pitch for just three minutes, curled a great finish into the top corner after being teed up by fellow substitute, the super-talented Paris Maghoma.
That Clement managed the game so effectively with 13 first-team players unavailable was typical of the way he has managed this period, which has been pretty much ongoing since he arrived in mid-November.
“For the players to get that result, in the manner they did, shows how involved all our squad are in what we are achieving,” he said. “It’s another example of the progress we are making.”
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder offered an honest assessment. “In fairness to Norwich they were better than us in the second half and their subs impacted the game much more than ours did,” he said. “They are a good side in a false position in the table.”
The victory, secured in front of 25,503 at Carrow Road, leaves City 15th in the Championship on 48 points from 36 games. Their form over the last 10 fixtures: eight wins from 10 Championship matches, which puts them top of the form table.
