With the January transfer window done and dusted, Ipswich Town turn their attention back to Championship action with a trip to Deepdale to face Preston North End. Alex Jones previews the clash.
Deadline day passes
Deadline day hasn’t always been busy at Portman Road, but it certainly was this time. The Blues worked late to bring Kieffer Moore back to the club, meaning that they’ve ended January with four new signings.
Jeremy Sarmiento and Lewis Travis arrived early, and they’ve both impressed so far. Ali Al-Hamadi was signed towards the end of the window, further bolstering their front line.
The other Championship teams were busy too, although Town did more business across the four weeks than their other automatic promotion rivals. Southampton lost Carlos Alcaraz to Juventus while Leeds United hardly did anything to improve their squad and Leicester City missed out on their top target.
The entire division is going to look a little bit different this weekend, especially compared to the start of the month. For all the talk of January being a tough period to do transfer business, clubs have been very active in buying and selling.
Bouncing back from a shock
Ipswich are no strangers to defeats, albeit that they’ve been a rare occurrence so far this season. The Blues have suffered just three all season in the league and five in all competitions, but last weekend’s FA Cup exit was another matter entirely.
Nobody expected National League South side Maidstone United to pick up a result at Portman Road, never mind win the game, which they were 20/1 underdogs to do before kick off. However, goals from Lamar Reynolds and Sam Corne saw George Elokobi’s side progress to the fifth round – a result that quickly became one of the biggest stories in the football world.
The biggest consolation was the nature of the defeat. Town hit the woodwork three times, registering 13 shots on target from their 38 attempts. On a normal day, they could’ve scored four or five, maybe even more, but a mixture of poor finishing and incredible goalkeeping from Lucas Covolan saw it play out differently.
The result could crush the Blues’ confidence, or it could give them the kick that they need to reach the same levels that we saw them hit earlier in the season.
Will Preston fade away?
Preston were the in-form team at the start of the season, but now they’re at risk of falling away entirely.
Following a 1-1 draw at Bristol City on the opening day of the season, Ryan Lowe’s side won six matches on the bounce to move to the top of the Championship. The performances, while impressive, didn’t show a team that could sustain a charge for automatic promotion. Alas, that’s how it played out.
Everything came crashing down with a 4-0 defeat to West Brom at Deepdale towards the end of September, and it was quickly followed by losses against Leicester City and Ipswich. They seem to be able to recover after poor patches of form, which has probably been enough to keep Lowe in his position, but they can never maintain a good run.
Despite winning just three times since November 10th, the Lilywhites sit 12th in the table, five points off the top six. That being said, the mood around the club is pretty poor. Supporters are frustrated that their team hasn’t been able to take advantage of their incredible start, and the manager has been under significant pressure for quite a while.
It hasn’t helped that they did little to strengthen in January.
The last meeting
Ipswich have put in some fantastic performances so far this season, and their 4-2 win against Preston North End is right up there.
The Lancastrians travelled to Portman Road in early October, and while they sat right at the top end of the table at the time, defeats to West Brom and Leicester had knocked their confidence.
Conor Chaplin opened the scoring in the 18th minute, but they were pegged back by Mads Frokjaer-Jensen less than 10 minutes later. Brandon Williams put Town back ahead with a moment of magic, running from inside his own half to fire home from the right, before Nathan Broadhead extended their lead in first-half stoppage time.
Ben Whiteman got the visitors back in it, but the match rarely felt nervy. Instead, it always felt like the Blues would be the more likely to score again, and so it proved when Kayden Jackson fired home in the 78th minute to wrap up the points.
McKenna’s men managed 10 shots on target from their 16 attempts, registering an xG [expected goals] of 2.44 that shows how dominant they were. It set them up for a run of wins that helped them move into pole position in the table alongside Leicester, and they’re yet to be removed.
Who could start?
Ipswich’s squad has looked a little bit weaker than usual in the last few weeks, but their two new arrivals have helped strengthen the numbers and the quality.
The back line probably won’t look much different, barring any late injury issues. Vaclav Hladky will return in goal, while Leif Davis and Harry Clarke will likely flank George Edmundson and Luke Woolfenden in defence.
Ahead of them, Sam Morsy is back from his two-match ban, meaning that he’ll probably start alongside Massimo Luongo. In attack, Chaplin and Wes Burns will surely return to the starting lineup, although Sarmiento could be preferred to the off-form Nathan Broadhead.
Moore is available to lead the line at Deepdale, although it’s easier said than done to come in and start your first game just a couple of days after signing for the club. Fellow January signing Al-Hamadi only trained with the team for the first time yesterday and has had back issues, which could point to Kayden Jackson starting up top. At least McKenna has options at his disposal.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel