--- source: thedugout.football generated: 2026-07-27T11:40:08.306Z last_updated: 2026-07-27T05:00:00+00:00 data_provider: API-Football canonical: https://thedugout.football/clubs/norwich-city/news/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZWRwMjQuY28udWsvc3BvcnQvMjY0MTA1Nzguc291dGh3ZWxsLWNpdHlzLWluanVyeS1vdmVyaGF1bC13aWxsLXRha2UtdGltZS8_cmVmPXJzcw --- # Connor Southwell: Why City - **Source:** - **Published:** 27 Jul - **Club:** Norwich City - **Original URL:** https://www.edp24.co.uk/sport/26410578.southwell-citys-injury-overhaul-will-take-time/?ref=rss You could forgive Norwich City fans for a sense of deja vu after the double blow of Jovon Makama and Kellen Fisher's fitness setbacks. Three injuries in quick succession have dragged the conversation back to a familiar place - the impact and frustration have reopened a narrative that proved difficult to shift last season, even after their impressive uplift under Philippe Clement. Because this is not a new issue. It is a theme that ran through last season, shaping selection, performance and ultimately outcomes. For all the progress made under Clement, it remained the variable Norwich could not fully control. That is why most fans will not care how those injuries have occurred - only that they have - and that key players are missing again so early in the season. It is the reopening of a narrative that inflicted so much pain on their prospects last season. When that pre-season struggled to establish a solid fitness base, City were left playing constant catch-up, even though Philippe Clement made a series of positive changes to training intensity, recovery, and in-game management. Often, the absence of key players meant City's boss was having to pre-prepare substitutions based on fitness rather than for tactical reasons in order to hurt opposition or see out a result. In many ways, that makes Norwich's redemption under Clement all the more impressive. Those results and performances were achieved with limited squad availability. The question is how sustainable it would be over the long term, given how pivotal fitness is to achieving success in the Championship. Last season, Coventry and Ipswich Town both sat inside the top three for availability, recording 21 fewer injury cases than the Canaries, a gap that goes a long way to explaining the difference in their seasons. Injuries became a too regular theme of Norwich City's work last season. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd) Those stats that showcase their struggles are why there has been a drastic overhaul of their medical and performance department with Dr Paul Ford's arrival as performance director, Pippa Bennett as chief medical officer and Andrew Proctor as head of physiotherapy. Ford will be tasked with running the department and building a programme that supports Clement’s training model. Bennett will be tasked with clinical and diagnostic decisions, with Proctor key to returning players to full availability via the return-to-play protocols. As the last week has proven, this is not a quick fix that will instantly translate into a clean bill of health, but it is a more holistic approach designed to future-proof and improve the situation from this point. As with every solution, there is a lag between making the changes and seeing a positive impact. There is encouragement, though, that the muscular issues which plagued last season have not been repeated, with only Errol Mundle-Smith falling victim to a muscle issue so far. It suggests changes around preparation and training are already having an impact. The challenge, especially for Ford, is to understand Clement's training and game model to best tailor a physical approach that can, not just withstand it, but thrive. Paul Ford (left) has been hired in an attempt to improve their fitness situation. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd) Flick the City history books back to Daniel Farke, who brought head of performance Chris Domogalla with him to Carrow Road because of his understanding of the required physical conditioning to play for the German. That work was key to the late heroics in that title-winning campaign. Unlike that partnership, Ford and Clement haven't worked together before. City's performance chief hasn't worked in football or the Championship before. Those are hurdles that need to be overcome. The early data is positive, given how pre-season has been devised, but that is only phase one. Like so much of football, there are only some things that can be controlled. Contact injuries, sadly, aren't typically one. Full-backs and midfielders, who complete more duels than most, are naturally more susceptible to contact injuries. The same applies to those who look to operate close to opponents, like forwards who look to beat opposition in smaller spaces - which is how Makama sustained his latest injury after slaloming into the box against Colchester. Some players are more robust to taking kicks. The key for those who aren't is then to coach them an alternative way to avoid regular duels. Lucien Mahovo suffered a contact injury in their pre-season friendly draw against Colchester. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd) In truth, it is hard to argue that much could have been done about the ones Norwich have sustained. Mahovo was on the receiving end of a firm but fair tackle that he could do little about after pushing the ball into space. Makama was trying to engineer a shooting opportunity in the box, which was congested by defenders. Fisher's was a training injury, but that came walking backwards to defend a new phase and standing on a teammate's foot. It is hard to blame anything but bad luck. The key to whether their revamped department has been a success will be when judged on re-injuries or soft muscle problems. Norwich had double figures in hamstring cases last season - that is one of the key metrics to change from here. That is why so much work has been done on improving player availability. There is little point in Norwich possessing talent in their squad if they're not able to show it regularly in the Championship. City's recruitment is also a factor. They have gone down a younger route, which often means there is little injury history. That's before overlaying the unique physicality and relentlessness of the Championship compared to other European leagues. Availability costs. Norwich are discovering that in their pursuit of a left back. For all the talk about a Harry Amass return, he, too, has just suffered a major injury. It is hard to really know how that affects his play style or availability record from here. Kellen Fisher's injury was the latest fitness setback for Norwich ahead of the new season. (Image: Philipp Kresnik) That search is already specific enough without overlaying a requirement for a strong availability record. With Birmingham and Middlesbrough also in the market for left backs, City will need to be strong in their pursuit of targets when they settle upon a player to move for. If Norwich can keep a higher percentage of their squad available for longer, then in Clement, they have a coach capable of extracting performances and points consistently. That feels like the major barrier between City and success this season. In a league many feel will be stronger, those fine margins could prove the difference between crucial points, places and achievements. It is not the start City wanted - and it underlines how little margin for error they have if availability does not improve.