- Cordoba transforms from struggling recruit into City’s elite defensive powerhouse.
- Analysing the statistical revival of Cordoba under the management of Clement.
- From Championship errors to defensive dominance: the incredible rise of Jose.
After the 2024/25 season, few Norwich City fans would have confidently stated that Jose Cordoba would be a first-choice option in his second season at Carrow Road.
Signed from Bulgarian side Levski Sofia in 2024, the left-footed central defender looked like the player the Canaries had been lacking in that area of the pitch for years.
A physically strong, exceptionally fast, and left-footed defender is not something that had been seen at Norwich for quite some time.
How Cordoba struggled in his first year at Norwich
Unfortunately, the Panama international’s first season at Carrow Road did not go to plan, for him, for Johannes Hoff Thorup, for Ben Knapper, or the club.
Norwich finished 13th in a season that ended with Jack Wilshere managing against Aaron Ramsey’s already relegated Cardiff at Carrow Road.
Cordoba sat on the bench behind Shane Duffy and Callum Doyle for that particular game.
The 24-year-old defender found himself out of the team because of a series of poor performances and errors in the Championship, as he struggled to adapt to the physicality and intensity of the league.
Cordoba ended the 2024/25 campaign with a ground duel success rate of 51% and an aerial duel success rate of 50%, ranking in the bottom 6% of centre-backs for duel success rate and aerial duel success rate.
His struggles in duels were because the intensity of the league was too much for him and he either did not correctly anticipate where the ball would go or how quickly the opposition forward would get there, or he would be in the wrong position.
The numbers behind Cordoba’s Norwich revival
Almost two years into his Norwich career, Cordoba is the first name on the teamsheet alongside Ruairi McConville in Philippe Clement’s well-oiled machine.
After another difficult start to the season, in which he played as a makeshift left-back at times by Liam Manning, the Panamanian colossus emerged as a star man for Clement at centre-back.
When asked about Cordoba’s potential in December, the Belgian boss told the Pink Un: “He needs to make steps in his positioning and in making choices.”
Clement correctly identified what was causing the centre-back problems in his first season, his positioning, and almost instantly helped the Panama international to improve that area of his game.
So far this season, Cordoba has won 59% of his ground duels and 59% of his aerial duels in the Championship.
This perfectly illustrates the big improvement in how he reads the game and competes in duels in his second season in England.
He has also made 2.4 tackles and interceptions per game, compared to 1.4 tackles and interceptions per match last term, and is averaging 2.4 more clearances per game (5.4) than he did last season (3.0).
Perhaps the most illuminating statistic, though, is that he ranks in the top 6% of centre-backs in the Championship for ball recoveries per 90 (5.23).
That is a testament to his reading of the game and his mobility to recover possessions for Norwich.
Norwich City’s own Rolls-Royce
You always hear the term ‘Rolls-Royce’ rolled out for the classiest and most physically impressive centre-backs in European football. The likes of Virgil van Dijk and John Stones come to mind.
Cordoba may not have won Premier League and Champions League titles and shone in the Premier League for years like those two particular examples, but he is certainly Norwich’s own Rolls-Royce.
The 24-year-old star finally looks like the player supporters expected him to be upon his arrival from Levski Sofia in 2024, as he has emerged as a consistent, strong, quick, and cultured central defender this season.
Cordoba will play in the Premier League one day, hopefully with Norwich.
