- Clement will watch on from the stands as Norwich face Bristol City.
- Belgian boss aiming to avoid successive defeats for the first time at Norwich.
- The first change he must make from the starting XI that lost to Ipswich.
Philippe Clement has not lost successive games as a manager since his time in charge of French side Monaco.
The Belgian head coach, who is suspended for the trip to Ashton Gate, did not lose two successive matches at Rangers and he has yet to do so with the Canaries, and he will be hoping that does not change this weekend.
Norwich were beaten 2-0 by Ipswich Town in the East Anglian derby at Carrow Road last weekend, and there were plenty of lessons to be learned from that bitter defeat.
What went wrong against Ipswich…
Clement’s team selection was somewhat enforced by the injury and fitness situation at Carrow Road, but the starting XI was not geared up to take on a derby game.
The back four of Jack Stacey, Harry Darling, Jose Cordoba, and Kellen Fisher looked a mile off being able to compete with Ipswich’s frontline, as was the case in the reverse fixture with the same backline.
Norwich lacked balance when playing it out from the back, as Stacey struggled under pressure in possession and Fisher was playing on his weaker foot, and that meant many attacks fell flat in their own half.
The Canaries also looked rather toothless in the final third because Kenny McLean started the game on the right, in place of a natural winger, and Mathias Kvistgaarden failed to score for the ninth straight game.
Whilst the attack was missing several key players from the start, including Oscar Schwartau, Paris Maghoma, and Mohamed Toure, the team did not create many chances for the attackers to score.
The first change Clement must make vs Bristol City
With what went wrong against Ipswich in mind, the first change that Clement must make to the starting line-up against Bristol City is in the defence.
The Belgian head coach should drop Stacey from the team to bring Ben Chrisene in as a natural left-back, allowing Fisher to move over to his favoured position.
Despite getting into some good positions in the 2-1 win over Millwall, Stacey’s use of the ball in the past two games has left a lot to be desired.
The English right-back lost possession 42 times against Millwall and Ipswich, yet only created one chance and 0.07 xA across both games combined.
Fisher does not fly up and down the pitch and provide as much attacking energy as Stacey, but he has more composure on the ball under pressure and can help Norwich to build better attacks as a team.
Making this change would also provide Norwich with a left-footed left-back for the first time since the 2-0 win over Preston North End last month.
Norwich’s most underrated player?
Chrisene is a player who feels underrated by the fanbase, at least online, and that may be because of how stop-start his career has been due to injuries.
The former Aston Villa left-back has been a solid performer whenever he has been called upon this season for Norwich, under both Liam Manning and Clement.
In 21 league appearances this season, Chrisene has won 56% of his ground duels and has not made a single error that has led to a shot or goal for the opposition.
He is not a flashy full-back who will drive past players and deliver unbelievable crosses into the box on a regular basis, but you know what you are going to get from him when he plays.
Chrisene also provides a left-footed balance that Norwich have lacked too often this season due to their ridiculous injury list in his position.
Clement must bring him into the team for Stacey to offer that balance when playing out from the back, whilst also reducing how many times the ball is turned over by playing Fisher at right-back.
Whilst there may be other changes made to the XI, this could be the most important change to improve the team in and out of possession.
