Reaction | Clement: There are lessons to learn

Philippe Clement at The Riverside

Philippe Clement reflected on a disappointing defeat against Middlesbrough on Saturday afternoon but praised his side for a more positive second-half performance. 

"It was a friendly game; we started perfectly, scoring the goal in the way that we wanted to, getting in behind this defence with the speed of Mo (Touré).  

"But then three or four minutes later, they get the equaliser in a way that should never happen.  

"I was disappointed with the reaction afterwards because several players lost belief and the fire that we had in the beginning of the game and that we showed in the second-half.  

"We threw away 30 minutes of the game because of that and conceded then two more goals.  

"We had also chances in the first half still to score more, but I'm really proud of the second-half; the phase that the team showed there.  

"That's the Norwich I want to see every time, 90 minutes long, with this passion, desire, quality on the ball, creating chances, not giving away much against a really, really good quality team.  

"In the last 10 minutes, Middlesbrough felt on the ropes and we missed the small thing to kill the game off and we had the chances also to score the fourth goal. 

"Then in the dying seconds with one set piece, they find an opener and I think they're really lucky to get the three points here today and they will feel it also like that.

"There are lessons to learn, yet you cannot live in the emotions of disappointment in a football game and you always need to reset.  

"We spoke about that in half-time, that I wanted to see another phase of them with their chest in front and their heads high and believing in their qualities and of their teammates; which they did.  

"We have a really young group, so those are lessons that young players need to take along the way.  

"But you hope always that we can take lessons without losing points and that could have been the case today because it could have also been been amazing winning 3-4.  

"That was also possible today and then of course the feeling would have been totally different, or at least 3-3."