Paddy Davitt delivers his Millwall verdict from Norwich's 3-0 Championship thumping.
1. Mauled
Maybe not quite the feeling of a watershed moment like that 4-0 Millwall drubbing early in the Daniel Farke era. A game which appeared to mark a realisation from the German his smooth possession approach needed a steely edge.
But this was no less of a jolting shock to the system.
Nothing seen on Philippe Clement’s watch could have prepared the away support for what unfolded at the Den.
Millwall were excellent from the off. Alex Neil has built a high pressing, hungry, energetic team who simply over-powered the Canaries. Norwich were second best in every department. Down the flanks, in central defence, in central midfield and offering little more than a sporadic attacking threat up top.
Mercifully they only trailed by a goal at the interval. Clement opted not to make changes and with a trio ready to enter the fray on the hour mark, Tairyk Arconte added his, and the home side's, second.
By the time Jose Cordoba’s high wire act ended, when he picked up a second yellow card for hauling back Arconte on a burst, the result was long since beyond doubt. Luke Cundle added a late third, and Millwall were full value for the margin of victory.
The contrast between this pitiful City effort, and the one under Clement they produced earlier this year on Easter Monday, in a 2-1 comeback win at the Den, could not be starker.
The mitigation for an opening day defeat at West Brom rumbled on all last week. From Aune Heggebo’s handball, to a two game ban, to Clement’s tour of the united nations in his support of VAR. But this was no laughing matter.
There is some serious work ahead of the Belgian and a squad which clearly remains a work in progress over the coming weeks.
2. Bad day at the office
City’s players will need to take a long hard look in the mirror before the next Championship assignment. That is a given.
But the usually sure-footed Clement will surely not have endured quite such a difficult day in charge of Norwich.
He can be forgiven that heavy debut defeat at Birmingham back in November 2025, when he was still getting to know the names of his players in a disjointed first half offering at St Andrews.
Since then, Clement had been foot-perfect to galvanise a group of under-performing players staring League One in the face and bring them to the cusp of last season’s play-off picture.
But the sight of Pelle Mattsson not in the starting line up at the Den, and named on the bench, raised more questions than answers.
Clement confirmed it was a tactical call for the more physically robust Sam Field but 'with hindsight I might do something different'.
Field proved an able deputy when he first arrived on loan from QPR, but Mattsson is a far more complete central midfield operator, even if the Dane was some way short of his best against the Baggies.
Clement has inspired any number of comebacks with his stirring half-time words or astute substitutions and in-game tactical tweaks.
But he stuck instead of twisted at the break, and with Mattsson, Papa Diallo and Jack Stacey ready to enter the fray on the hour mark, Millwall doubled their lead.
The changes kept coming from the bench, including a debut for Anthony Musaba, but it remained one-way traffic. ‘Can we play you every week’ was the taunt from home fans in a bumper attendance.
Millwall look a serious promotion contender. That is the brief which enticed Clement to Carrow Road. One poor day at the office does not alter that, or the upward trajectory on his watch. But much like his players need to respond, so does Clement.
The City boss hit the nail on his head in his post-match. This has to be a wake up call for everybody.
3. Pull the shutters down
The Norwich chief was pretty clear on Friday the recent arrival of Musaba will be the last scheduled incoming for Norwich in this summer transfer window, which by design was about targeted minor tweaks.
By 'design', because Musaba owed his arrival to Ali Ahmed’s long term cruciate knee ligament injury.
City did embark on this summer’s recruitment drive with a desire to add more nous and experience to follow on from a permanent move for Field. But when the opportunity presented itself to sign Andre Brooks they went all in on another highly-rated young commodity. But barring any unforeseen twist in the final two weeks of trading that will be it.
The pieces are already in the building and now the task is for Clement and his coaches to sift and stitch together a team who can be competitive at the right end of the Championship table. Any transfer window interest from here for City fans will centre around potential exits.
The likes of Jakov Medic and Amankwah Forson have suitors on the continent, but the test will be can suitors make those deals financially viable to all parties.
Liam Gibbs looks another who, if there is to be limited chances in Clement’s roster, may need to find an alternative posting to get the game time he surely craves at this stage of his senior career.
But beyond that? For all the social media speculation in recent days around Portuguese ‘interest’ in Mohamed Toure, Clement reiterated again, as he did midway through pre-season after a friendly draw at AFC Wimbledon, only those he deems are not viable starting options will be allowed out.
The confidence with which he delivered that messaging would suggest it is a stance backed and endorsed by the ownership and his sporting director.
Unless clubs pick up the blower and start talking telephone number valuations, be it for Toure or anyone else, then it will no deal between now and September 1.
4. Ante needs to feel the love
Easy to forget before the footballer there is the human. When Ante Crnac crumpled to the turf at Derby in October 2025 he disappeared from sight for the vast majority of the Norwich nation.
First surgery followed by months of rehab. But there are mental scars to handle from a career that be halted in a split-second.
Ali Ahmed is now at the start of that long, no doubt at times, lonely, road. Crnac opened up on the dark days last week as he thankfully edges closer to a first team return.
"It was tough. I think the first night, the second night especially," he said.
"But then I just accepted that and decided either you feel sorry for yourself, or you just start working, and just work hard. And I think now it's probably close to the end we will see if it paid off or not.
"Physically it wasn't hard. I thought it would be harder, but mentally it is lots of ups and downs.
"One week you are feeling better, the next you are feeling worse than you felt three weeks ago.
"But I had good people around me, good team mates, good coaches, and they helped me all."
Understandably there remains caution from Clement and the coaching staff to bring a player back to the boil who has missed 10 months of his career.
Crnac talked about the trust he has in the people shaping these crucial final phases of his recovery. Whether Clement feels a midweek League Cup trip to Cardiff City is too soon will become clear in due course. There must surely be a selection response to this unacceptable Millwall offering.
But for Crnac, or even summer additions Darlin ‘Dave’ Yongwa and Musaba, that could be a crucial part of their bid to leave an early season Championship imprint. In Yongwa and Musaba’s cases it is game minutes to top up a lack of activity.
Crnac’s first competitive outing in a Norwich shirt will be a special personal moment. In the bigger picture there remains a player of promise for Clement to now mould into a genuine attacking threat on a consistent basis. Football does not always come with the happy ending, but the 22-year-old Croatian deserves some good times in green and yellow.
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