Ipswich Town: Assessing Ipswich Town's Premier League start

“I think Leicester, who obviously have more experienced players and a manager who’s been in the Premier League, would have the best chance out of the three. 

“The other two have got young, up-and-coming managers and they’re just lacking that little bit of know-how. You can’t play catch-up in this league, if you don’t win for the first seven or eight games, you’re climbing a mountain. It’s really difficult and there’s a lack of goals in both teams.”

Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer both nodded along in agreement. On social media, the segment was met with a furious response from fans of last season’s promoted Championship clubs. At this point, only four matches had been played.

Another tough start for the newly promoted clubs...

Is the gap between the Premier League and the Championship getting bigger?#MOTD #BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/3o8gwePeMD

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) September 14, 2024

It’s easy to see why the reaction was so strong, particularly from Ipswich’s perspective.

The Blues were playing League One football less than 18 months ago, taking on the likes of Forest Green Rovers and Fleetwood Town. The reality is that they’re not there anymore - they’re at the top level of English football - but at the same time, you can’t ignore their journey to this point.

In that time, Kieran McKenna helped his side make the step up to the Championship and then got them challenging at the summit. Of course, they finished in second place behind Leicester and ahead of Southampton. It wasn’t long ago that both of those sides were playing in Europe, while the Foxes won the Premier League title in 2015/16.

They come into this season with far bigger resources and more expensive squads than Ipswich, who have kept a core group from League One. The Blues have made 12 signings, many of whom joined late on in the summer. You can’t throw all of them in and expect them to instantly click. That’ll take time, which is the key takeaway from their start to the season.

On top of that, they began the campaign with a home match against Liverpool and a trip to champions Manchester City. They unsurprisingly lost both games. Seven days after their game at the Etihad Stadium, when their confidence could’ve been shattered, they put in a strong performance at home to Fulham in a clash that they came close to winning. Over the 90 minutes, they were arguably the better team.

The Blues were arguably the better side in their 1-1 draw against Fulham (Image: Steve Waller)

The comments shared on Match of the Day, among other outlets, came in the aftermath of Town’s goalless draw at Brighton. In truth, they were battered for the entire game and if not for some incredibly brave defending and heroics from goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, they would’ve lost comfortably. Ifs and buts don’t matter in the Premier League though, the only thing that counts is that Ipswich took a point at one of the in-form sides in the division.

Even if you do factor in hypotheticals, Liam Delap came inches away from putting his side ahead against the run of play. A better finish from Omari Hutchinson could’ve done the same soon after. Town defended well and earned their point, which is why many supporters were perplexed to hear pundits criticising their start to the season.

They weren’t at their best against Southampton but still showed their quality in bursts. They were dominant in the opening 20 minutes despite falling behind, and while Sam Morsy’s strike could be seen as fortuitous, it was arguably what his side deserved from the match. It extends their unbeaten run to three games and means that Liverpool and Manchester City are still the only sides to beat Ipswich in the Premier League this season. 

Their start to the campaign was exceptionally tough and that shouldn’t be forgotten. That’s one of the big reasons why it’s far too early to make any sweeping judgements about their ability to avoid the drop.

Going three matches without a defeat is worthy of significant praise and recognition too, even if they were all draws. For context, Manchester United only managed it once last season. Some teams didn’t manage it at all. Still, the point that is constantly hammered home is that they’re yet to win, and the longer they go without it, the likelier they are to be cut adrift.

Town have picked up more points than Southampton, Everton and Wolves so far this season (Image: Ross Halls)

But at the moment, there’s no evidence to suggest that’ll happen. Ipswich are one of six sides yet to taste victory after five games, which is the most in Premier League history. Leicester, Crystal Palace, Southampton, Everton and Wolves are also waiting. The latter three have picked up three points combined, which is the same as Ipswich’s current total.

It’s hard to launch a full in-depth assessment of the other teams, but Southampton were certainly worth a point against Ipswich and have shown considerable improvement week-on-week. Leicester were promoted with various off-field issues but have taken points off Tottenham, Crystal Palace and Everton. 

The table is still a long way off taking shape, but all three newly-promoted sides sit above Everton and Wolves. If we’re going to jump to conclusions about the trio who’ve come up, why can’t we do the same about the other sides yet to win? It all looks pretty similar down the bottom and it’s clear that this relegation battle will involve more than just three teams.

Last season’s bottom three are often mentioned as an example. Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton Town were promoted and relegated within the space of 12 months. Although the Hatters took it to the penultimate game, survival always felt unlikely. This, however, was an anomaly. The only other time that it’s happened in Premier League history was the 1997/98 campaign.

In contrast, there have been four seasons where all three teams survived (2001/02, 2011/12, 2017/18 and 2022/23). The most recent one saw Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest come up and avoid the drop. All three sides still remain in the division, avoiding the dreaded ‘second season syndrome’.

Liverpool and Manchester City are the only teams to beat Ipswich in the league this season (Image: Ross Halls)

There is a degree of validity to the argument made by those who predict Ipswich, Southampton and Leicester to be relegated. Town in particular lack experience at the level and, as mentioned, need time to bed in a lot of new players. Who knows what the table will look like by the time that happens? Southampton face a similar problem, while Leicester are on the other side of the scale and could face complications as a result.

The wait for a first victory is key, because winning breeds confidence. It certainly isn’t the be-all and end-all right now, but the longer they go without one, the more it’ll stick in the mind.

Of the six sides yet to get one, it’s probably fair to say that three will do it before the October international break. Those who don’t manage it will be feeling the pressure, and if it drags on, we’ve all seen how easily you can get cut adrift. From that perspective, Murphy is spot on.

There are lessons to be learned from Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton in terms of recruitment, style of play and general approach to the division. There was a clear gap between those sides and the rest of the league, which is why the negativity surrounding this season’s newly-promoted sides is understandable, even if it feels harsh and unwarranted in the circumstances.

As is often the case, the right answer probably lies somewhere in the middle. Jumping to conclusions after five games is going to be pointless given the number of variables in the opening few weeks.

Things will settle down soon, however, and we’ll have a clearer picture of the state of play. At that point, it’ll be much easier to assess the gap between the Premier League and the Championship.