Press news in...

Good afternoon from Coolknee, everyone. We await Mr Clement.
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On Birmingham: 'We know there is a lot of jobs to be done. We saw a big difference in our first and second half with our structure. We have shown that to the players with videos. It was a long session, because we had a lot to address. We are building a house and the foundation is not good yet. We need to start with the foundations. We created more chances, there was more combination play than in recent games.'

How does that reflection process work?: 'I use data. There is no monologue. It is one story together. This group of players wants to get better, wants to get points. It's about getting points and laying foundations so we can get better every game. There is a lot of new guys and young guys who don't have experience. For some, this is their first time at another club. They need time.'

Physicality: 'Our structure was not good. They could play between our lines in the first half. I hate this. If you are not close enough to your opponent or don't win your duels, then the opponent can create chances. The team have had a lot of knocks in recent weeks. They showed resilience in the second half to keep on going. They showed a better face of themselves. That is what we need to continue doing.'

Defending - a lack of confidence or mentality issue?: 'It's not a mentality issue. If you look at Birmingham, they have built a team over two or three years. We aren't there.'

Concern over lack of pace in the backline?: 'If you look in deep at my teams in the past, there were differences. You have to adapt. Different kinds of strikers can make your pressing different. Different type of defenders can make your structure different. I don't believe Norwich fans want to see a team heading balls out of the sky. We have to build a different kind of football.'

Better with Sargent?: 'It was better second half. Josh had a good chance and created a really good chance for Mathias. I'm really happy to have a striker like Josh. He's not just a goalscorer, but he's someone who can create for others. But he needs more support. We need to create chances over 90 minutes. Those are the steps. I was driving here from the hotel with my assistant and he said 'tomorrow it is one week here'. It feels like four months - in a positive way. We have had a lot of meetings, but it's impossible to change everything in six days. It's going to be step by step.'

Bigger job than initially thought?: 'It is not fair to make that conclusion. Did you think Tzolis was a good player at Norwich? My point is that judging after a few days or even months can be difficult. We are going to push them really hard to improve. Let's use him as an example - he is now scoring in the Champions League and people are willing to pay a lot of money for him. Here, everyone tells me he was not a good player. We need time to assess these players. We need faster results, reactions and points - I'm going to use the tools to get the best out of these players - but it will take time to properly judge them and this job from my side.'

Jacob Wright: 'I don't want to go too much into individuals. I see a player who is talented with good ability on the ball. I need to see how he is off the ball, because you have to find balance in the middle of the park. He is showing the right mentality in training. It is a player with great potential. It is about them showing themselves in every training session and around training to show they want to be in the squad. There is no difference between someone who is 17 or 35 if the guy who is 17 wants to get in more, then he will play. It's not about age, but it's about how they complement with others.'

On tomorrow: 'There will be some changes, yes. It is necessary with the turnaround. We are having long discussions with the staff to make a good assessment so we can come through these games with more points but not more injured players. That is the balance.'

*Clement confirms no new injuries from Saturday.*

On the game tomorrow and Carrow Road form: 'It's a hard question to answer (why they haven't got any points). It is not worth looking back and wasting energy. It's about making things better and to get a positive dynamic and synergy with the fans rather than the past. Everyone who has ever been on a pitch, they know more than people who haven't that the energy the fans can give you. The fans were amazing at Birmingham. They can have the guarantee from me that I will push to make things better for them. We need them. The players need to show them something. It works both ways.'

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That brings an end to Philippe Clement's pre-match press conference.

Posted By: DrDublin, Nov 24, 13:50:20