- Norwich lost for the first time since they were beaten by Southampton.
- Ipswich won at Carrow Road for the first time since 2006.
- Philippe Clement opted to name an unchanged XI for Norwich.
Philippe Clement has earned a lot of trust and respect from Norwich City fans for the remarkable job that he has done so far, which makes it almost impossible to judge his team selections before kick-off.
So many starting line-ups have looked underwhelming on paper under the Belgian, through no fault of his own, and produced excellent performances and results.
That is why most of the reactions to the starting XI selected to face Ipswich Town were positive, despite how it looked on paper.
Initial reaction to the starting line-up
I was surprised when the team news dropped at 11:15 AM on the way to the ground, because what is needed against Millwall away is very different to what is needed against Ipswich at home.
Clement opted to go with the same starting XI, keeping Kellen Fisher at left-back, Kenny McLean in a hybrid right midfield role, and Mathias Kvistgaarden and Anis Ben Slimane in the front two positions.
However, I was also surprised when I saw that XI for the Millwall game, despite trusting the Belgian boss, and it produced a fantastic performance.
Unfortunately, unlike the trip to The Den, that collection of players found themselves 2-0 down at half-time and barely laid a glove on the Tractor Boys.
The understandable decisions
Mohamed Toure starting on the bench was an understandable decision because it was only his third appearance since coming back from a significant muscle injury.
With little to play for this season, risking the Australia international’s long-term health ahead of next season is not a risk worth taking.
Playing Slimane over Paris Maghoma, who has the swagger and quality to shine in a derby, was also understandable after he created two ‘big chances’ against Millwall.
Those two calls were, therefore, completely understandable decisions made by the Norwich head coach, even if they played a part in how the game went so wrong for the hosts.
Clement’s biggest mistake against Ipswich
The biggest mistake that Clement made against Ipswich was starting a back four of Jack Stacey, Harry Darling, Jose Cordoba, and Kellen Fisher.
It was the exact same back four that Liam Manning selected in the 3-1 defeat at Portman Road in October, when the Tractor Boys tore through the backline with ease.
Ipswich found it equally as easy to create against the same back four, albeit with some help from the referee, as they created five ‘big chances’ to Norwich’s two.
Clement’s hand was somewhat forced in the centre-back position because Player of the Season contender Ruairi McConville just came back from a knee injury and had strapping over his left knee in the warm up.
The Belgian boss, however, did have Ben Chrisene available to play and opted to stick with Stacey at right-back and Fisher out of position at right-back.
Unfortunately, Stacey, who was given a 4/10 rating in our player ratings piece, has now struggled in both games against Ipswich this season, failing to win a single tackle in 164 minutes, whilst committing a whopping seven fouls.
Norwich struggled to play out from the back with the English right-back’s limitations in possession under pressure and Fisher on his weaker foot on the left, which impacted the build-up play and stagnated many attacks.
Starting with Fisher at right-back and Chrisene at left-back could have prevented as many defensive slip ups, whilst also creating more balance in possession when playing out under pressure.
How Clement could react to his mistake
Criticising Norwich’s head coach feels wrong, given what he has achieved here so far, but the one thing we know about him is that he learns from his mistake.
There is a reason that he has not lost back-to-back games for Norwich and did not lose back-to-back games during his spell at Rangers. It is because he reacts and adapts.
For the trip to Bristol City next weekend, the Belgian may go back to a balanced back four that includes Fisher, McConville, Cordoba, and Chrisene, whilst the likes of Maghoma and Toure may ignite the attack.
There is not much left for Norwich to play for in their last four games, but we will, hopefully, see some more promising signs to take into the 2026/27 campaign.
