Ipswich Town beat Millwall 3-1 at Portman Road last night. Stuart Watson reflects on the action.
IDEAL OPPONENTS
As I went to get a half-time coffee, one supporter asked me 'how come we couldn't play like this on Saturday?' The answer was a simple one, 'the opposition'.
West Brom are a top-end Championship club packed with Premier League experienced players that all know their jobs under a manager who's had a year moulding and coaching his squad. They had a game plan for Ipswich, too. Millwall, by contrast, are a solid second-tier club very much in the early stages of a transitional period.
After years of punching above their financial weight under pragmatic boss Gary Rowett, the Lions hierarchy decided it was time for a calculated risk. Joe Edwards, 37, is cut from the same cloth as Kieran McKenna. He's a young career coach making his first steps in senior management after honing his craft with Chelsea, Everton and England Under-20s.
Edwards' plan is to add some on-the-ball composure to his team's off-the-ball work rate. He's spoken about not being too obsessed with nullifying the opposition and being brave in attack. It may or may not pay off in the long run. We'll see. You certainly won't hear someone who reported on the end of the Mick McCarthy era at Portman Road preaching 'be careful what you wish for' from afar. One thing's for sure though, this was an ideal game for Ipswich to have off the back of a rare defeat.
FAST START
There's been a lot of talk about Ipswich not starting games well in recent weeks following six successive games in which an early goal was conceded.
Previous normal service resumed in this game with the Blues bursting out the blocks to race into a 2-0 goal lead inside 12 minutes.
Millwall deployed a 3-4-3 system and a high back line. Ipswich repeatedly found the extra man in the middle and spaces in behind. Conor Chaplin and Wes Burns were back at their telepathic best down the right. When Burns can get isolated with his marker and is in the mood to repeatedly take them on it's a recipe for success.
The flying Welshman, breaking with low cut-back tradition, sent a high cross to the back post for the opener. George Hirst's awareness and technique when supplying a cushioned headed knock down for Chaplin's bouncing finish was superb. He may only have four goals to his name so far this season - one of them a penalty - but his work ethic and ability to set up others must not go unrecognised.
Town's second was so slick. Nathan Broadhead, Sam Morsy and Massimo Luongo worked the ball in a neat triangle pattern down the inside left, Chaplin produced the deftest of touches with his instep on the spin, got it back off the pivot point of Hirst, slipped it right to Burns, he reversed it back to Chaplin inside the box, soft touch, quick lay-off, and Luongo was there on the edge of the box to produce more pillow feet before rifling a shot through the crowd that ended in the back of the net.
Former Blues favourite Bartosz Bialkowski denied Ipswich scoring another fine goal when tipping over Hirst's first time effort from a Burns cross. Burns then thumped the near post on the angle following more good work by Chaplin.
ASSIST MACHINE
Town effectively wrapped this game up with a third goal in the 39th minute.
Cameron Burgess was the player to cushion the ball delightfully this time, intercepting a direct pass high up the field before striding into space. The Australian international showed great will power when ignoring the crowd's collective appeal to shoot, instead slipping the ball ahead of Leif Davis down the left, and the latter's measured cross was guided back across goal and into the net by the head of Broadhead.
Davis' ability to tirelessly get up and down the entire left side all game and still remain so composed with the final cross/pass really is remarkable. He's already on eight assists for the season. It's looking increasingly likely he could surpass the division's record of 14 provided by full-backs Barry Douglas (Wolves, 17/18) and Kieran Trippier (Burnley, 13/14).
AXEL LOOKS A PLAYER
It comes as no surprise now when McKenna rotates in the centre-back position during a busy run.
Just like at Rotherham, Axel Tuanzebe replaced Luke Woolfenden in defence for a midweek game. Will there come a time when the former Manchester United man, who has been eased into action after injury issues, keeps his place? I think so.
The 26-year-old barely gave the ball away, constantly read danger, was brave in the tackle and produced one crowd-pleasing Cruyff-turn to beat a man. You can see he's played at a higher level.
In Woolfenden, Burgess, Tuanzebe and Edmundson, McKenna has got real strength in depth in that position.
NO CLEAN SHEET
The second half was a bit of a damp squib by comparison. There are reasons for that.
Millwall switched to a 4-2-3-1 system and, looking to limit the damage, sat much deeper. Ipswich, knowing the job was done, saw their tempo drop slightly.
Conserve a little energy for the busy period ahead and keep a rare clean sheet were the priorities. If some attacking subs could come on, inject some fresh energy and add a goal or two more that would simply be a bonus.
In the end, neither happened. Millwall got one back in the 78th minute when a deep cross from the left by Ryan Longman was flicked in by sub Kevin Nisbet. Should Town have done better to stop the cross? Maybe. Should the marking have been tighter in the box? Possibly. That's probably being ultra critical though.
Not recording a first shut out since the 1-0 win at Bristol City on October 25 was frustrating. What was heartening, however, was the team's response to that goal. Unlike the late wobble against 10-man Swansea in the previous home game, Ipswich remained calm and saw the match out fuss free.
"Not a perfect performance (it rarely is), but a good night's work," was McKenna's assessment afterwards. Spot on.
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS
Leicester's conceding a stoppage-time equaliser at Sheffield Wednesday means that Ipswich move back to within a point of the league leaders.
Leeds and Southampton both winning, against Swansea and Bristol City respectively, is a reminder of the quality of teams they're up against in this automatic promotion fight.
If Town are going to keep the pace then it's vital that Portman Road remains a fortress. The home league record under McKenna now reads an impressive: P43 W31 D9 L3 F104 A33.
'We can't take that for granted' was the Northern Irishman's message to the crowd ahead of last night's game (27,702 turning out on a cold, foggy, late November evening for a televised game). He'll be calling on those fans to once again play their part when Coventry City come to Suffolk on Saturday.
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