Adrian Clarke praised Ipswich Town’s tactical versatility after they won 4-3 over Blackburn on Saturday.
Kieran McKenna’s team adapts well to the Championship.
There was a lot of excitement about the Tractor Boys’ return to the second tier, but there was still some uncertainty about how they would adjust to a higher level.
However, the early signs are encouraging, with Kieran McKenna’s team sitting second in the table, and they made it four wins in a row by beating Rovers at Portman Road last time out.
The hosts led 3-1 at halftime thanks to goals from Harry Clarke, Nathan Broadhead, and George Hirst, but Jon Dahl Tomasson’s team would finally equalize.
Despite appearing to lose momentum, Ipswich rallied, with Massimo Luongo scoring the game-winning goal in the 79th minute.
Only Leicester are ahead of McKenna’s team on goal difference, and being the only team to take points from Ipswich at this early stage, Leeds will be dreaming of back-to-back promotions.
What did Adrian Clarke say about Ipswich?
It’s fair to say that Ipswich are impressing many with their start, and EFL expert Clarke falls into that category.
Speaking on the ‘What the EFL?! podcast, Clarke explained how he saw a different side to McKenna’s men as they proved they could be very effective even without dominating possession.
“Seeing Portman Road packed to the rafters, watching such good football, it really pleases me. We should have known this was going to be an exciting game, they’re two of the most attack-heavy sides in the Championship, and it didn’t disappoint.
“What surprised me was how little of the ball Ipswich had, around 40%. They’ve shown they’ve got different ways of winning matches. What I really like at the moment is the continuity with team selection. McKenna has got a really big squad of quality individuals, but he seems to have settled on favoured units.”
Can Ipswich win promotion?
We’re obviously at a very early stage of the campaign, so it’s too soon to make proper judgements, but Ipswich do look the real deal at the moment.
As Clarke says, they have shown they can win in different ways, whether it’s grinding out 1-0 victories at Southampton and Sheffield Wednesday, or outscoring the likes of Cardiff and Blackburn.
The ability to mix it up is essential at this level, but there’s still a long way to go, so McKenna won’t get carried away.
What is next for Ipswich?
Ipswich’s focus is now on the League Cup, and they will face Premier League Wolves tonight in another tough test for the Suffolk club.
McKenna is expected to make changes in order to give players on the bench a chance to perform, but the depth of his squad ensures that they do not become significantly weaker.
Following that, they return to league play on Saturday against Huddersfield, which will be Darren Moore’s first home game in charge.
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