Ipswich Town: Analysing midfield options ahead of Man United clash

Morsy has only missed one Premier League game so far this season (Image: Ross Halls)

Sam Morsy

There’s not a lot to say here. Morsy is the captain and it’d take something remarkable for him to be dropped without an injury.

He’s one of the consistent faces in the team. Aside from Leif Davis, he’s probably the player from Town’s League One side who’s adapted to Premier League football the best.

Of course, his on-field stuff is what matters the most. Per @markrstats on X, the 33-year-old ranks third of all the midfielders in the Premier League for ball progression efficiency, trailing only Manchester City’s Mateo Kovačić and Saša Lukić of Fulham.

That attacking drive is unique considering that he’s also adept at protecting the back line. Of course, he’s aggressive and destructive in midfield. He can win the ball in midfield and has a really impressive passing range.

There are a couple of concerns. In some games, we’ve seen him get overrun or start flagging in the last 10 or 15 minutes. His disciplinary record is also a bit of an issue, given that he’s a booking away from a one-match ban. 

That does little to change his place in the starting lineup, however. If he’s fit, he starts. That may have been a concern a couple of weeks ago, having picked up a knock in the 2-0 defeat to Everton, but he should be ready to go after the international break.

He’s also the only player in his position to bag a goal or an assist for Ipswich so far this season. He has one of each. Those contributions are going to be crucial for the Blues this campaign.

Phillips has improved over the course of the campaign (Image: Ross Halls)

Kalvin Phillips

So far this season, McKenna’s preferred midfield partner for Morsy has been Phillips, when fit.

The Manchester City loanee was left out on the opening day against Liverpool due to a lack of match fitness and was unable to feature against his parent club the weekend after. Other than that, he only missed games against Southampton and Tottenham, which came through injury and suspension respectively.

We’ve seen a bit of everything from Phillips so far. He was pretty poor on his debut against AFC Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup exit, but that was understandable. He showed a real improvement in the games after that, putting in a particularly strong performance against Aston Villa at the end of September. That showed what he’s capable of.

After the international break, he had a pretty torrid time back at former loan club West Ham. His overhit back-pass led to the third goal, with Jarrod Bowen breezing past him far too easily to score. He was largely ineffective against Everton and, while he showed glimpses of real quality against Brentford and Leicester, they were countered by a couple of frustrating moments.

There’s no denying that he’s improving week-on-week. At his best, he’s one of the top players in Europe in his position, and McKenna will be confident of getting him back to that level. With regular game time, those aforementioned glimpses could become man-of-the-match performances and extensive runs of good form.

For that to happen, you have to be able to see past the negatives for now. There’s stuff for him to work on - particularly when it comes to his tackling and passing, which have been inconsistent. 

However, he’s showing that he’s adapting to McKenna’s system. He’s skilled when it comes to managing games - such as drawing fouls - and is clearly building chemistry with his new team-mates.

Cajuste put in a strong display in Town's 2-1 win at Tottenham (Image: Ross Halls)

Jens Cajuste

Jens Cajuste, we were not familiar with your game. No, seriously, we weren’t really familiar with what you could bring to the table.

The Swedish international hasn’t had an easy start to life in Suffolk. Facing an adaptation period to get used to life in England and in the Premier League, he found himself behind Morsy and Phillips in the pecking order. As a result, he only got one start before September 21st, which came in that Carabao Cup game at Wimbledon.

Since then, he’s only been brought in when others have been absent. Phillips’ injury at Southampton saw Cajuste make his first Premier League start, where he looked solid if not inspiring. At Brentford, he stepped in for Morsy, where he once again put in a good display despite only just coming back from a knock.

Then the Spurs game came along. Phillips was suspended for his red card against Leicester, so Cajuste came into the XI. There were no real concerns about it, but nobody predicted him to put in the performance that he did.

He was exceptional, particularly in the first half. Smooth and silky in possession while being physical and determined when chasing the ball. It felt like he ran the show and protected Ipswich’s defensive line from one of the best attacking sides in the top flight.

He just looked so relaxed. So calm, so cool, so calculated in everything he did.

There are two sides to this. On the one hand, this showing deserves real praise and recognition. It shows how someone who’d gone under the radar can play a crucial part in a game. On the other hand, that’s all it is - one match. It’s important not to jump the gun and go overboard on 90 minutes of football.

It’d be really harsh to drop him after such a strong performance in North London. He doesn’t come with the same pedigree as Phillips, for example, but his height could be crucial in a game against top-level, physical opponents.

It’s a tough call for McKenna.

Massimo Luongo started in the Blues' games against Liverpool and Manchester City (Image: Ross Halls)

Anyone else?

Realistically, no. With everyone fit and firing, Massimo Luongo and Jack Taylor are going to find it hard to start for Ipswich.

Both come with positives. Luongo knows Morsy better than any other midfielder at the club while Taylor has the attacking drive that the others lack.

Both have been out with injuries recently, but Luongo came off the bench before the international break while Taylor should be ready to play again after a few weeks on the sidelines.

They're really good options to have on the bench. When seeing out a lead, Luongo can come in as a like-for-like alternative with fresh legs. When chasing a goal, Taylor's never afraid to get forward and go for goal.

Kieran McKenna has a tough decision to make ahead of the game at Portman Road this weekend (Image: Ross Halls)

Verdict

Let’s get the obvious bit out of the way first - Morsy is surely a starter. Yes, we’ve seen Phillips partner Cajuste before, but McKenna is unlikely to drop his captain if he’s available.

The real question is about who starts with him.

Ipswich’s only win of the season came with Cajuste in the middle of the park, and he was a big reason for that result. In the long-term, it may turn out that he’s the best option. It may be that his performance against Spurs wasn’t a flash in the pan, that his height will be crucial in a Town team that’s possibly lacking in that department.

For Sunday’s game against Man United, it’s hard for me to look past Phillips, however.

This feels like a good game for him to come into the starting lineup. Three weeks away from competitive action will mean he’s fresh and firing. In that time, he’ll have had plenty of training sessions and lots of time with his Town team-mates. That can only be a good thing.

In this game, Ipswich will probably be a bit more front-footed than they were at Spurs. It won’t be gung-ho, but there should be more opportunities to hurt the Red Devils and they’ll likely spend more time on the ball given that this is a home game. That approach suits Phillips.

He’ll have a real desire to feature in this one from the start. As an ex-Leeds man and a Man City loanee, he’ll get an interesting reception from the way supporters on Sunday. He’d like nothing better than to put them in their place, although the same could be said about the game at West Ham, which didn’t end well.

But he truly understands and embraces the Portman Road atmosphere. His best showings have come on home soil.

Many will remember when he was subbed off against Fulham where he pumped his arms up in front of the fans to encourage them to keep making noise.

That’s exactly what Town will need in this game. Someone who won’t be afraid to get stuck in, someone who’ll thrive in a hostile environment and do what needs do be done to get the fans up for it.

Crucially, this would be a vote of confidence in a player who so desperately needs it. If McKenna indicates that he has full faith in Phillips, it could do wonders for his motivation. It'll allow him to grow his partnership with Morsy, which is seemingly the pairing that the manager believes will be the strongest option this season.

Man management is key here. Phillips someone who wants to enjoy his football and a game like this is a fantastic opportunity to keep him on the right track.