Ipswich Town went unbeaten last month, earning draws against Brighton, Southampton and Aston Villa. Alex Jones picks his September award winners.
Player of the Month
For the second month in a row, I’m giving this one to Liam Delap.
Perhaps the fact that Town played just three games works in his favour here. The striker didn’t have much to work off against Brighton, but a rare foray forward in the second half saw him run from deep and smack the post with a stunning effort. If that went in, he would’ve been the hero of the day.
Against Southampton, Russell Martin instructed his defenders to double up on the England Under-21 international. As a result, he found it hard to get into the game.
It was his showing against Aston Villa that truly stood out. Two goals against Unai Emery’s men, taking his total for the season to three and earning his side a valuable draw.
On top of that, his overall performances have been really good. Of course, he’s a wrecking ball of a striker, but he’s also really good with the ball at his feet. He works spaces incredibly well, drawing opponents out of position while also finding little pockets that he can slip into unmarked.
Surprise package
From zero to hero – I think this award belongs to Arijanet Muric.
There were significant concerns surrounding Ipswich’s goalkeeper after the defeat at Manchester City, where he made two mistakes against his former side that were brutally punished by Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne.
As well as being a good shot-stopper, Kieran McKenna needs someone that’s good with the ball at his feet. Muric didn’t look at all comfortable.
The debacle with the Kosovo national team during the September international break could have really destroyed his confidence, but he came back looking better than ever. Brighton couldn’t find a way around him at the Amex Stadium despite peppering his goal with shots. He was a real brick wall, and put in another impressive shift at Southampton the following weekend.
Yes, he’s conceded three goals this month, but it’s almost impossible to attach any of the blame to him. On top of that, his distribution looks much better. Hopefully he’ll continue to improve over time, but he’s certainly managed to reassure a number of supporters who doubted him.
Goal of the Month
Three goals to choose from here. I’m going with Delap’s second strike against Aston Villa.
There was so much to like about this one. Town defended well to win the ball back on the edge of their area. A quick break saw Omari Hutchinson pick up the ball in space, and from there, he weighted the perfect pass to Delap, allowing him to begin one of his trademark surging runs from deep.
Delap at the DOUBLE! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/bheqAeoSZA
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 29, 2024
Once he gets going, you just can’t stop him. He dashed into the box before dazzling Diego Carlos with a stepover and cutting the ball onto his left foot. From there, he was able to open up the gap to tuck a low shot past Emiliano Martinez, equalising for the Blues.
In terms of pure technique, this tops the list for September.
Standout moment
Missing out on Goal of the Month, I have to give this one to Sam Morsy’s stoppage-time equaliser away at Southampton.
Ipswich were simply not at their best in this game. They had their moments, but it was hard to argue that they didn’t deserve to be trailing at St. Mary’s heading into stoppage time, particularly given that they failed to turn the tide in the second half.
A late flurry gave them hope. George Hirst won a corner which Leif Davis delivered into the box. The Saints cleared it out to Morsy, who took a touch before taking aim from outside the box. His strike deflected off Charlie Taylor, lifting it above Aaron Ramsdale and into the roof of the net.
Cue utter bedlam in the away end and chants of ‘it’s happened again’. This one might not top Jeremy Sarmiento’s legendary goal from last season’s win against Southampton, but it was a fantastic moment that salvaged a point in an important game.
Best opposition player
I was really impressed by Brighton’s Carlos Baleba, who ran the show against Ipswich, while Ollie Watkins’ quality stood out in bursts over the weekend. This month, however, I want to recognise Southampton’s Tyler Dibling.
The 18-year-old has very little experience of the men’s game but has really shone at youth level. Having caught the eye of his manager, he was given a run of games off the bench before starting against Manchester United. Saints supporters were raving about his performance, claiming that he gave Diogo Dalot a torrid time. I didn’t watch that match, but equally struggled to buy into the hype.
Having watched him in the flesh, that opinion changed quite quickly. Starting off the right, he often got the better of Leif Davis in their one-v-one moments. In 82 minutes on the pitch, he completed the most dribbles (3) and drew the most fouls (4). He also picked up a sumptuous pass from Adam Lallana before turning into the box and firing past Muric to score early on.
There’s a reason why he’s been linked to a number of top-six clubs.
‘Welcome to the Premier League’ moment
This one doesn’t come from a game, but actually from some TV coverage. I’m talking about Match of the Day on September 14th, the day of Town’s draw at Brighton.
Many supporters would have returned home from Sussex full of confidence and optimism, turning on BBC One to see what some of the pundits had to say about their resilient defensive showing on the South Coast. Instead, the talk was about their slim chances of survival, with a graphic highlighting the fact that the newly-promoted sides had only gained four points between them.
“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,” Danny Murphy said.
“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.”
At this point, Ipswich had played just four games, two of which came against Liverpool and Manchester City. It showed just how quickly the national media will look to write you off.
Quote of the month
In a pre-match press conference, Sky Sports asked Jacob Greaves for a question to ask manager Kieran McKenna. He suggested: “Are there more wheels or doors in the world?”
When pressed for his answer, he replied, “I can’t answer my own question! It’s too tough, I think. You just don’t know what goes on in other countries, the way they live and stuff. I’d say doors, personally, but I don’t know if that’s the right answer.”
We’ll hopefully have an answer from the Northern Irishman ahead of Saturday’s trip to West Ham.
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