Ipswich Town sit 17th in the Premier League table after taking three points from their opening five games. How many will they get from their next five? Stuart Watson makes some predictions...
Who: Aston Villa
Where: Portman Road
When: Sunday, September 29 (2pm KO)
Half of Town’s opening six matches back in the Premier League will have been against teams competing in the Champions League. Talk about a baptism of fire!
The Blues had Liverpool on the back foot for the best part of an hour on an electric opening day at Portman Road before getting clinically picked off by Mo Salah and co. It ended 2-0, but the damage could have been greater.
A mistake-laden five-minute spell at Man City was then ruthlessly punished, as a shock early lead was quickly turned into a 3-1 deficit by the 16th minute. The four-in-a-row champions subsequently cruised to a 4-1 victory.
Kieran McKenna's men now need to try and put the lessons learnt from those two games into practice against Aston Villa. That's easier said than done.
Unai Emery led the Midlands club to the Europa Conference League semis and a fourth-place finish last season and has since strengthened his squad. Key men like Emiliano Martinez (a World Cup winning keeper), centre-back Pau Torres (a 24-cap Spain international) and England striker Ollie Watkins (27 goals last season) remain. Douglas Luiz has been replaced by Belgian powerhouse Amadou Onana in midfield. New signings Ian Maatsen, Ross Barkley and Jaden Philogene are all having to make do with a place on the bench at the moment.
Villa have won six of their opening seven games in all competitions, putting three goals past Everton, Young Boys and Wolves, plus two past West Ham and Leicester. A 2-0 loss at home to likely title contenders Arsenal is the only blot on their copy book.
Emery deployed his fringe players in Tuesday night’s 2-1 Carabao Cup win at Wycombe. His team will want to go into next Wednesday night’s home clash against Bayern Munich with momentum.
Prediction: Ipswich Town 0 Aston Villa 2
Who: West Ham United
Where: London Stadium
When: Saturday, October 5 (3pm KO)
I’ll be honest, I had West Ham down as a potential surprise package (in a positive way) this season. The logic behind that thinking was that Julen Lopetegui might unite a previously fractured fanbase with a more attractive style of play to predecessor David Moyes.
The likes of Wolves centre-back Max Kilman (£40m), Man United full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, 30-cap Argentine midfielder Guido Rodríguez, Championship wing wizard Crysencio Summerville and robust German striker Niclas Füllkrug were added to the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus. On paper, the squad looks impressive.
Losing the opening three home league games (against Villa, Man City and Chelsea, to be fair) has seemingly left the natives restless though. The angst has been as much about performances as results. After last weekend’s 3-0 defeat to Chelsea, England winger Bowen admitted: “We were never in the game, which is an awful thing to say.”
Will the pressure have intensified by the time Ipswich make the short trip to Stratford? West Ham go to Brentford this weekend. Or will the home players, a couple more weeks into their gelling period, be fired up to produce a reaction in front of their fans? It’s a hard one to call, this.
Prediction: West Ham 2 Ipswich Town 1
Who: Everton
Where: Portman Road
When: Saturday, October 19 (3pm KO)
For tetchy at West Ham, read toxic at Everton.
The Toffees have circled the Premier League drain for three years now, following a lengthy period of financial mis-management, and they’ve got off to a nightmare start this season.
The campaign started with heavy defeats to Brighton (3-0 at home) and Tottenham (4-0 away), then 2-0 leads were turned into 3-2 defeats against both Bournemouth (h) and Aston Villa (a). Sean Dyche’s men led in last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Leicester too.
Will one of English football’s longest-serving top-flight clubs fall through the trap door just as they prepare to move into a new 53,000 capacity stadium on Bramley-Moore Dock?
News of Dan Friedkin being close to a takeover has brought some cautious optimism that the tide can turn, but several false dawns in the recent past ensures Evertonians won’t be jumping through hoops just yet.
Home games against Palace and Newcastle could lift the mood or intensify the pressure ahead of their trip to Portman Road.
It's important to recognise that Everton have played well for long spells in games, scored goals and do have plenty of experience both on the pitch and in the dugout. On the flip side, their confidence is fragile and they could be vulnerable to Town’s direct runners.
Every game’s a major challenge in the Premier League. No doubt about it though, this represents one of Ipswich’s better opportunities to win.
Prediction: Ipswich Town 1 Everton 1
Who: Brentford
Where: Gtech Community Stadium
When: Saturday, October 26 (3pm KO)
Having led the way in data analysis, Brentford have established themselves as a Premier League club with finishes of 13th, ninth and 16th.
Talisman striker Ivan Toney may have departed this summer, but the Bees have coped without him before. Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa continue to be among the goals, although the latter is now out injured for two months with a damaged ankle.
So far this season Thomas Frank's men have had home wins against Palace and Southampton, plus away defeats to Liverpool, Man City and Tottenham. Another mid-table finish looks likely for the West Londoners.
If Ipswich can get a point at Brighton, however, then they will believe they can get something here too.
Prediction: Brentford 1 Ipswich Town 1
Where: Portman Road
When: Saturday, November 2 (3pm KO)
Leicester are another club where the vibes aren’t good.
Foxes fans weren’t all that happy when their team were winning, in robotic fashion, for the majority of last season. After a late season wobble, they just about clung on for the title.
Manager Enzo Maresca left for Chelsea this summer, as did star man Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. With potential FFP punishments hanging over them, their transfer window was underwhelming. Jamie Vardy still leads the line at 37 years old.
New boss Steve Cooper, whose team have picked up three points via draws against Tottenham, Palace and Everton so far, was confronted by an angry fan during Tuesday night’s 0-0 draw at Walsall in the Carabao Cup.
It’s eight years now since that fairytale Premier League title. Expectations and reality possibly aren’t quite aligned at the King Power Stadium.
Jeremy Sarmiento and Sam Morsy both scored late in the games against Leicester last season to salvage valuable 1-1 draws. Town were clear underdogs in those games, but they won't be going into this one.
Prediction: Ipswich Town 2 Leicester City 1
If things pan out the way I've just outlined (unlikely), then Ipswich will have taken four points from their opening eight games and still be winless. At that point, nationally they will have been written off. I’m sure even the most optimistic of fans will be having a slight crisis of confidence too.
Ultimately, however, I’ve got the Blues pegged for five points from the next five – and that would represent progress from the first block of games. Extrapolate eight points from 10 games over the course of the season and you get 30. That would have been enough to stay up last year. This scenario I’ve painted is a reminder that it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
One thing I am certain of, however, is that the first win of the season – no matter where or how it comes – must arrive in this next block of five. Town can build their way into this season, but they don't want to be left chasing their tails too much.
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