Ipswich Town beat Oxford United 3-0 on Boxing Day. Andy Warren gives his thoughts' on the Blues' victory.
The false start
This game wasn’t a game of two halves (it was, obviously, but please stick with me). No, it was a game of four quarters and Ipswich Town won three of them at a canter.
That’s why they were ultimately 3-0 winners and very good value for it indeed.
But to tell the story of this game you have to start with the opening 20 minutes or so, during which Oxford were by far the better side and looked much more-likely to open the scoring.
Ipswich were moving the ball slowly and looked disjointed, with plenty of balls going missing or bouncing off feet, legs, chests or heads. What usually is second nature just wasn’t coming off.
There were reasons for that, with four players (Luke Woolfenden, Janoi Donacien, Lee Evans and Marcus Harness) back from injury, making it difficult for Ipswich to find their rhythm.
The hosts weren’t terribly bad, they just weren’t particularly good and were a long way from their fluent best.
Oxford took advantage of that and took control, stretching the Ipswich defence and creating spaces which were soon filled by threatening runners in white shirts, looking for a way to goal.
They nearly found it on a few occasions, with Christian Walton needed to deny Matty Taylor and then Billy Bodin, while Djavan Anderson and Taylor had efforts the 550 away fans thought hit the back of the net.
Thankfully for Town, the first hit the stanchion behind the goal and the second the side-netting, but things soon changed as the tide turned in the hosts’ favour.
Six big minutes
It took a while for them to get there, but Town were just about on top by the time Freddie Ladapo turned home the opening goal of the game.
But, after the ball hit the net, there was no disputing Town’s dominance.
Woolfenden’s role in the opener was great to watch, as he cut out a ball and drove forwards, exchanging passes in the lead-up to Harness’s cross into danger. From there, Conor Chaplin saw his shot dropped by league debut-making goalkeeper Ed McGinty (he of the short sleeves and white boots) and Ladapo did the rest. Being in the right place at the right time in those big moments is no accident.
Then, six minutes later, the advantage was doubled.
The second was no accident either. Ipswich have made huge strides from attacking set-pieces to the extent they have scored more (12) than any side in the division. So, when McKenna kept his cards close to his chest post-match, when asked if Wes Burns’ goal from a Leif Davis corner came straight off the training ground, we can safely read between the lines.
Davis hit the near post with corners on a few occasions during this game, with Burns a target, and this time it worked as the Welshman met the delivery with an expert volley which flew between bodies and into the net.
As the hosts headed to the dressing room at the break, two goals to the good, you felt like this game was over.
Dominance
If quarters one and two of our game ended in a moral Oxford victory and a match-turning success for Ipswich, quarters three and four were defined by Town’s dominance.
Discussing the second half after the game, Oxford manager Karl Robinson talked about his players ‘losing every single individual battle’ and being ‘completely and utterly beaten by the best team in the league’.
As honest a post-match debrief as you will find but, while there may perhaps be a little exaggeration there, it’s not too far from the truth.
Ipswich were in firm control of this game once the second period kicked off and controlled possession superbly throughout, threatening the Oxford box with balls in from wide areas and also looking to play through the middle.
They got their reward late on, when substitute Sone Aluko slipped Chaplin in to score the third and apply some gloss.
But, even before then, the game was won, given Oxford were restricted to almost nothing at the other end.
The returning quartet
Those four returning players made a real difference to this Ipswich side.
Donacien brings a solidity to the right side of the Ipswich defence which simply isn’t there when he’s not around.
Woolfenden was superb in this game, helping to create the first goal and sweeping up almost everything which came his way at the other end of the pitch. He and Burgess, who also played very well, are becoming a real partnership in the centre of the Town defence.
Both of those players missed the loss at Wycombe and their absences were felt, so it was good to see them return for this one.
But it’s the two players returning from more long-term injuries who deserve the most praise.
Harness missed a month of football after suffering a knee injury against Portsmouth in the Trophy but, even though he underwent surgery during that period, didn’t show any rust at all as he returned to the starting line-up.
He was creative, linking play nicely and producing some clever touches to free others and begin attacks. Ipswich will benefit hugely from having him back so soon.
Evans missed two months before returning from the bench at Wycombe a week ago. He looked rusty at Adams Park and took a while to find his feet in this one but, when he did, he served a reminder of just how important he is to this Ipswich side.
Teenager Cameron Humphreys has been excellent during Ipswich’s midfield shortage and is fully deserving of all the praise he has been getting. But Evans is a player of real experience, both at this level and in the Championship, and showed just why as his passing range, ability to stretch teams from side-to-side and strength in the tackle helped his team no end.
It was great to see him back on form and his return will be a real advantage to McKenna between now and the end of the season.
The bigger picture
This game marked the halfway point in Ipswich Town’s season.
And McKenna’s men reach that mark in very good shape, sitting second in the table, two points off the top and having scored the most goals in the league. They have the division’s best goal difference, too.
The Blues have reached this point having only lost three matches and, even in defeat to Plymouth, Lincoln and Wycombe, you could make an argument Ipswich were the better team. They certainly were for significant spells in all three games, anyway.
So it’s hard not to feel extremely positive about where Ipswich are as 2022 draws to a close, with one big challenge left to face.
Anything that pitches Ipswich and Portsmouth against each other, be it on the pitch, in the transfer market or even on social media, seems to have an extra edge. And there will certainly be an edge at Fratton Park on Thursday night.
The atmosphere is always good, bordering on intimidating, down there. But Pompey are winless in the league in more than two months now, so Town should walk into Fratton Park with nothing to fear, given their own form and the fact they were 4-0 winners there a little more than a year ago.
It’s got the makings of a cracker.
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