- Clement transforms City from relegation candidates to contenders.
- Injury crises and consistency issues remain Clement’s big hurdles.
- Summer dilemmas loom as City balance squad depth and recruitment.
Philippe Clement has worked wonders for Norwich City. From being almost certain relegation candidates to climbing into mid-table, the transformation has been exceptional.
But the crazy thing is despite this massive achievement there are still areas where Norwich City can get even better.
While I am sure Clement would probably have some choice words for this article nonetheless here is how Clement can make Norwich City even better.
Injuries…
The injury issue has become borderline comical. With 14 players out injured recently this has only further highlighted Clement’s insane ability to marshal his resources.
That being said he needs help to progress. Hopefully before next season he and the board will look at the team’s fitness issues and find a way to minimise this.
Consistency…
While it has been great to watch Clement’s team play this season there is still the nagging feeling that we are only getting half a great game of football.
Partially this has been because of the need to conserve a reduced squad. That being said, having games where one half is considerably better than the other needs to be looked at to ensure the best team performance across the whole game.
Squad…
Emi Marcondes is the first player who has been confirmed to be leaving at the end of the season. It is likely that he won’t be the last.
Recent fitness issues have masked the fact that Norwich City have quite a large squad so there is likely to be some chopping and changing over the summer.
For example while Mohammed Toure and the emergence of Jovon Makama have eased the issue in the striker department it wouldn’t surprise me if another striker has been identified to complete the set (not necessarily Kasper Hogh!)
This is complicated by the fact it is a World Cup year so the board face a dilemma- do you try and get your shopping in early to avoid paying a post World Cup premium? Or do you wait and see if an undiscovered gem shines during the tournament?
In Clement we trust
Whatever happens before the end of the season Clement has earned our trust.
While I have identified these issues it would not surprise me that he is already on it and I am excited for what the next phase in his Norwich City project brings us.
