Norwich City were among the favourites for promotion in preseason following their impressive performance under Philippe Clement.

The former Rangers manager arrived to Carrow Road in November 2025, inheriting a squad that was 23rd in the Championship table, with nine points from 15 games.

With the supporters enraged and the players lacking confidence, Clement faced a difficult task, but he successfully communicated his message to the squad, and the Canaries easily moved out of the relegation zone, with a top six finish appearing probable at one point.

Norwich City has significant defensive concerns.

Many anticipated Norwich to carry that into the 2026/27 season, but after eight games, the Norfolk club is sitting in 17th place.

Of course, it’s too early to draw solid conclusions, and Norwich is as close to the play-offs as the relegation zone, but Clement has faced one key issue since the opening day loss to West Brom: the squad is conceding too many goals.

The 17 goals they’ve conceded in eight games are the league’s joint-worst, along with Burnley, and consecutive 4-3 defeats have proven that, if anything, the problem is worsening.

In that respect, the international break has arrived at an ideal time for Clement, as he will be able to work with the majority of his players on a daily basis, with the primary goal of improving the defensive.

Vladan Kovacevic has failed to find form this season.
However, while Norwich must improve their organisation and structure out of possession, much of their difficulties have been caused by individual errors, and goalkeeper Vladan Kovacevic has had a bad season thus far.

According to FotMob, he is at the bottom of the Championship in terms of goals stopped by goalkeepers this season, having conceded 5.4 more than he should have.

Vladan Kovacevic’s 26/27 Statistics (Source: FotMob)

Appearances

8

Goals were conceded.

17

Saves 17.

Save Percentage

50%

Clean sheets.

0

Goals Prevented: -5.36

Obviously, these stats do not tell the full story, since a quality strike cannot always be stopped, but Kovacevic also fails the eye test.

His positional play has been poor, his handling has been inconsistent, and he appears to struggle under pressure.

It would be foolish to write off Kovacevic, who was number one during Norwich’s successful season last year, therefore Clement and the club will support the 28-year-old to return to his best.

Daniel Grimshaw must be considered for Philippe Clement ahead of the Swansea City test.

However, Clement may be tempted to make a change, even though backup Daniel Grimshaw didn’t exactly shine in the 5-0 EFL Cup defeat to Manchester City last week.

Nonetheless, Grimshaw has been a decent goalkeeper over the years, and he has already played at this level for Blackpool and Plymouth, so Clement isn’t throwing a youngster into the deep end.

Some may believe that Kovacevic should be allowed to play himself back into shape, and it is understandable that the manager has publicly supported the goalkeeper, but Clement must convey a message that recent defensive performances are unacceptable.

So, the ex-Sporting CP player may not be the only one to lose his place, but you have a squad for that purpose, and if he is given a start against Swansea, it will be up to Grimshaw to prove he deserves to keep the shirt.

Norwich City must develop collectively to accomplish their promotion dream.

Ultimately, the first eight games of the season have served as a wake-up call for Norwich, who have not demonstrated the same consistency that they did under Clement.

As previously stated, several players, including Kovacevic, should be concerned about their place in the XI, given how many are now underperforming.

Injuries to Ben Chrisene, Kenny McLean, and Mo Toure are not what the Belgian manager needs, but they will push him to consider alternatives when they face the Swans after the break.

That will be a tough test for Norwich, but if they can get a result, it could be just what they need to get their season going.

So Clement will spend the next few weeks assessing his players, and it will be interesting to see who starts in goal, given Kovacevic’s difficulties may have opened the door for Grimshaw.