Ipswich Town have taken three points from their opening five Premier League games. Stuart Watson takes a look at what we’ve learned so far.
TOWN ARE COMPETITIVE
Following back-to-back promotions and 12 summer signings, this really was a case of into the unknown.
But the Blues have already shown they are not here just to make up the numbers.
Liverpool and Man City’s class ultimately showed, but Kieran McKenna’s men were competitive for large chunks in both those games. Liverpool were on the back foot for the best part of an hour at Portman Road, while Ipswich scored first at the Etihad and kept City out for more than an hour. Not many teams will do either of those things this season.
Since then, there have been three successive draws each claimed in different ways.
In another front foot home display, the Blues looked the more likely to win in a pulsating 1-1 against Fulham. A reminder that Marco Silva’s side have recently had two mid-table finishes and are currently ninth after beating Newcastle at the weekend.
Town provided a reminder that they can still roll their sleeves up and grind out results on the road with a 0-0 at Brighton. Again, there won’t be many teams who keep a clean sheet against the Seagulls this season. They look a side who could be pushing for a European spot.
Then, at the weekend, the Blues showed the never-say-die spirit that drove them to promotion remains when Sam Morsy scored a dramatic 95th leveller at fellow newly-promoted side Southampton.
A three-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League is a rare thing for teams outside the established big guns.
All-in-all, it’s a solid foundation for the 33 games ahead.
GAME MANAGEMENT CRUCIAL
The top sides in this division can be difficult to stop when their tails are up.
Town conceded twice in five minutes against Liverpool and were fortunate the damage didn’t become greater during that spell in the second half.
The following weekend, Man City scored three in five minutes, ruthlessly punishing errors, to effectively win the game by the 16th minute.
In League One and the Championship, Town’s first thought after conceding was to go and score themselves. They’ve now learnt that, in the Premier League, it’s wiser to focus on weathering the storm.
SOME GOOD BUSINESS
Kieran McKenna insisted that, following back-to-back promotions, it was ‘essential’ that the club splashed the cash in order to stand any chance of being competitive in the unforgiving Premier League.
In total, the Blues paid out in excess of £100m on transfer fees to bring in 12 new players. How well has that money been spent? The early signs look good.
Hull City fans felt Jacob Greaves was worth way more than the £15m Town paid for him. You can see why. A crunching tackle on Liverpool’s Dom Szoboszlai within the first few minutes of the season opener showed the left-footed centre-back (who has vast experience for a 24-year-old) wasn’t going to be over-awed by the step up. Only Virgil van Dijk has made more clearances than him so far, while he’s joint fifth when it comes to aerials won.
Club-record signing Omari Hutchinson (£18m, Chelsea) has shown, in flashes, that his technical ability belongs on the big stage. If the 20-year-old can fine tune his decision-making and up his consistency levels, then the Blues have a real star on their hands.
Liam Delap, strong and powerful, has been a real handful up top. He proved too much for Liverpool's Jarell Quansah (who was hooked off at the break), scored a fine solo goal against Fulham and came close to replicating it at Brighton when hitting the post. Again, the England U21 international looks smart business at £15m.
Keeper Aro Muric has responded well to costly errors at Man City. Dara O’Shea, Jack Clarke and Chiedozie Ogbene are still fully bedding in after arriving later in the window, but all have produced encouraging signs. Man City loanee Kalvin Phillips, based on two league appearances so far, is someone who’s going to add some top-level quality/nous to the midfield.
It looks like Ipswich have added players who will not only help the team in the short-term, but also prove to be big assets for the long-term.
PORTMAN ROAD FACTOR
The atmosphere was electric for the opener against Liverpool. Town’s players fed off that energy and had Arne Slot’s men on the back foot for the best part of an hour before eventually getting picked off by some world class players.
Liam Delap’s stunning solo goal against Fulham raised the roof. The home crowd then stuck right behind the team following Adama Traore’s equaliser and Ipswich looked the more likely to win it in the second half.
It’s already clear that Portman Road, packed to its rough 30,000 capacity, is going to be a difficult place for any team to come to this season.
“We feel like our home games are going to provide the best opportunities to collect points with the atmosphere we create and the football we know we can play,” said McKenna. “We have 19 home games in the Premier League this season and every one of them is to cherish, embrace and go and attack.
“I think if we’re all at full throttle at every minute of all of those 19 home games, the crowd and players together, irrespective of the score and the position in the league, then I really trust that will give us a great help in picking up points.”
Saturday’s visit of Champions League outfit Aston Villa is a big challenge. The next two teams to come to Suffolk will be Everton and Leicester.
PLAYERS READY TO STEP UP
The key men from Town’s back-to-back promotion winning seasons haven’t looked out of their depth at all.
Sam Morsy salvaged a point at Southampton with a fine strike and has produced 16 successful tackles across five games (=8th in division). After a long road to the top, there’s reason to believe the studious and clean-living skipper can take his performances to new heights at the age of 33.
Leif Davis has so far been up against Mo Salah, Savinho, Adama Traore, Yankuba Minteh and Tyler Dibling. All things considered, he’s made a positive start. Town’s left-back has notched his first assist and improved defensively game-by-game.
Wes Burns’ direct running high on the right still looks effective, Luke Woolfenden was unfortunate to lose his place after a strong showing against Fulham, while Axel Tuanzebe has been rock-solid at right-back, most notably when keeping Kaoru Mitoma quiet at Brighton.
Having a careful blend of old and new is going to be crucial.
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 here