Ipswich Town: Kieran McKenna backs goalkeeper Arijanet Muric

With the scores level at 3-3 heading into stoppage time following a late equaliser from Liam Delap, the 25-year-old failed to claim a cross that was floated into the box by Bryan Mbeumo, allowing the ball to bounce straight in as the Bees took all three points.

Muric was criticised after the match, with some supporters calling for Christian Walton to start in his place against Leicester City this weekend. However, McKenna was quick to highlight what he’s done well in a Town shirt, revealing that the Kosovo international has been frustrated by his mistakes and is desperate to improve.

“In any goal, it’s easy to pick the last bit of it,” the manager said, reflecting on Mbeumo’s stoppage-time winner at the Gtech Community Stadium. “We’ll always look at the build-up to it as well. We could’ve managed the clock a bit better at that stage at 3-3 to avoid the situation.

“On the other hand, with 10 men away from home, there’s always a chance that the ball can come in the box.

“Of course, Aro knows that he could’ve dealt with it a little bit better. He’s a really proud professional who holds himself to really high standards, so he’d have liked to have done better for the goal.

“We’re not quick to forget that they had a couple of other chances, both 11v11 and with 10 men, where he made good saves.

“I think he’s another player who’s settling into the team. He’s had good moments and made some big saves. He’s still settling into a new group, a new style of play, new team-mates.

Some supporters have called for Muric to be dropped from the starting lineup (Image: Ross Halls)

“We think he’s a really good character. He cares deeply about doing well for the team and the club.

“He’s got our support, of course, and like all the other players he’s tried to train well and pick himself up to be ready to help the team as much as possible.”

Despite the fact that the Blues’ wait for a win continues into November, McKenna was keen to highlight the positives from last weekend’s rollercoaster defeat.

The Northern Irishman believes that his players are feeling better for putting in a strong performance against Thomas Frank’s side, even if they were disappointed by the final result.

“Any time you go away from home and score three goals in the Premier League, you’ve done a lot of things well,” he argued. “Of course, to concede four goals was very disappointing, but even from a defensive point of view, for 44 minutes we limited one of the top teams in the league for creating chances at home to almost nothing.

“From a mentality point of view, the challenges that we had coming into the game – the injuries and late drop-outs – to perform how we did was a big positive. To show the resilience that we did with 10 men was a big positive.

“Even, to be honest, at 4-3, to chase the ball down and still find a way to hit the post in the 98th minute. I think there were a lot of positives.

“Of course, we were extremely disappointed to lose a game in that manner, but I think the players came out of it with confidence enhanced. We’ll try to take the good things into this weekend.”

Home form will be crucial for Ipswich this season, and is likely going to be where the majority of their points come from in the coming weeks and months. Their performances at Portman Road could be the difference between survival and relegation from the Premier League.

Their last match in Suffolk – a 2-0 defeat to Everton – felt unusually flat, which McKenna understands. However, he’s adamant that everyone will need to work together to keep the ‘tension’ out of the stadium against the Foxes if they’re to claim three points and kick on heading into the rest of the campaign.

“We’ve had four home games. I think Liverpool, Fulham and Aston Villa were littered with positives in terms of the performances,” the manager stated. “The atmospheres were as good as anything you’ll see in the Premier League this season. There’s not many better atmospheres in the world.

McKenna wants to keep the tension out of Portman Road against Leicester City (Image: PA)

“They were really good performances that got us a couple of points. On other days, we could’ve had more.

“The Everton game was definitely our worst performance at home, the first time there’s really been tension on the pitch, tension in the stands. That’s natural.

“It’s natural when you’re waiting for your first win, it’s natural when you make some mistakes in a game and it’s natural when things go against you like the VAR decision.

“It’s up to us all to keep that out of the stadium tomorrow. Of course, tension is natural. We’ve been involved in lots of big games, lots of games against competitors. What we’ve always managed to do well, for the most part, is to keep the tension out of the game and enjoy where we are.

“As a club, as staff, as players, we could be in a much less significant position playing less significant games. We’re in the best league in the world playing against another good side. Every game is one to enjoy.

“It’s on us, first of all, to deliver a performance, a commitment and an energy that the supporters will get behind. We know that, when we manage to do that, they’ll always be with us.

“Of course, for the supporters and for the whole club, it’s to embrace these games and try to keep the tension out of the mindset, to go for it in the way we do best. We know that’ll give us the best chance of getting the points.”