Ipswich Town have kicked off their Premier League with two defeats and a draw, while their Carabao Cup campaign was ended early by League Two side AFC Wimbledon. Alex Jones picks out his award winners for August.
Player of the Month
Going through the squad to research this one, there were a few candidates that came to mind. I thought Luke Woolfenden and Sam Morsy had done really well in their first few games since making the step up to the Premier League, but it was hard to look past Liam Delap.
I can’t lie – I wasn’t totally convinced by him in pre-season, which was really harsh in hindsight. He was often chasing shadows and cut a frustrated figure when things didn’t fall his way. Then Liverpool came to Portman Road.
His battle against Jarell Quansah was a total mismatch. He bullied the young centre-back, notably sending him flying with a superb touch before shrugging him off to win a corner. Reds boss Arne Slot hooked him at half time as a result, because it felt like he never stood a chance against the Town striker.
The trip to Manchester City was harder, but he more than held his own against his former club and looked good in the brief periods when he had the ball.
What about the Fulham game? Well, we’ll come back to that, but it’s fair to say that his performance against the Cottagers raised quite a few eyebrows.
Surprise package
For many, Axel Tuanzebe wasn’t supposed to be a regular starter this season. Ben Johnson was signed from West Ham and expected to play as first-choice right-back, while competition from Luke Woolfenden and Dara O’Shea meant that minutes would be hard to come by at right centre-back. Yet here he is, having started all three league games so far.
He’s ended up in a hybrid role that changes as Ipswich switch formation from a back four to a back five. In the former, he plays as a right-back, with someone like Johnson, Chiedozie Ogbene or Wes Burns ahead of him. With the latter, he comes in narrow to become a third centre-back.
The system is perfect for him. His pace allows him to cover a lot of ground and, when Town drop deep, he can double up with the right winger / right wing-back to prevent overloads. He’s still getting used to it, but he’s done really well so far.
He probably deserves more recognition than he’s had to this point. His experience of top-level football will surely be invaluable too, especially given that the Blues’ back line is lacking minutes in the Premier League.
Goal of the Month
I’ve combined my Goal of the Month and Performance of the Month awards into one here, because they’ve got the same winner – Delap against Fulham.
When it came to my player ratings, I gave him an 8/10, but I really did toy with the idea of boosting him up by one. I was so impressed, particularly given my aforementioned pre-season concerns about him. He caused the Cottagers all sorts of problems.
His early strike was superb, picking up a pass from Leif Davis before surging into the final third, shrugging off Andreas Pereira like he wasn’t there. From there, he had the bravery and skill to take aim from distance – perhaps 25 yards out at a tight angle. His shot was so powerful that former Germany international Bernd Leno – who got a glove to it – stood no chance of keeping it out of the top corner.
He could’ve scored more. He saw a strong shot saved by Leno later in the game, having invited Fulham’s defenders to challenge him before holding them off, turning and going for goal. Marco Silva’s side couldn’t handle his physicality or his movement.
If that’s a sign of things to come, there’s a lot to be excited about.
Standout moment
Ipswich scored four goals in all competitions in August, and while I want to give some love to Ali Al-Hamadi’s early goal against former club AFC Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup, I had to go with Sammie Szmodics’ opener against Manchester City.
Town went to the Etihad Stadium knowing the size of the task. No visiting team had won there in any competition since November 2022, when Ivan Toney’s last-second strike saw Brentford claim three points against Pep Guardiola’s men in November 2022.
As a result, it was a huge, huge shock to see Szmodics hand the Blues a 1-0 lead after just seven minutes on his first Premier League start – a goal which saw supporters go flying in the away end. It was pure bedlam.
What happened after that will soon be forgotten, but that moment will live long in the memory.
Jacob Greaves also deserves an honourable mention in this category for his clattering tackle on Dominik Szoboszlai in the opening seconds of Town’s Premier League opener against Liverpool.
Best opposition player
Yes, it’s Erling Haaland. He scored a hat-trick against Ipswich and could’ve had more, making it look like it was nothing. Physically, he’s an absolute monster. He bullies defenders, gets into any little pocket of space and punishes every mistake you make.
Town couldn’t handle him and that’s no disgrace. He followed up his performance against Kieran McKenna’s side with another hat-trick against West Ham just a week later. When it comes to scoring goals, there’s nobody better on the planet right now, which the Blues found out in their second Premier League game.
If nothing else, it would’ve been an amazing experience for the likes of Woolfenden and Jacob Greaves to come up against a player like him.
‘Welcome to the Premier League’ moment
Ipswich are experiencing a lot of new things in a short space of time. Huge stadiums, superstar opponents and increased media attention. There was one bit in particular that stood out to me when they were beaten at the Etihad Stadium.
That came when Savinho broke down the right side in the box as Davis stuck out a leg, sending the Brazilian winger flying. Referee Sam Allison waved play on, but it soon became clear that the defender wasn’t going to get away with it.
Allison was sent to the VAR monitor to review the incident. This decision went against them, with Haaland dispatching the subsequent spot-kick to get Man City’s comeback up and running.
This was the first proper VAR review in Ipswich’s history and it certainly won’t be the last.
Quote of the Month
Asked about the Oasis reunion ahead of Ipswich's Carabao Cup tie against Wimbledon, McKenna said: "I'm excited. I hope to get some tickets. If anyone finds two and wants to send them to Playford Road, I'd be more than happy."
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