After more than two decades, Ipswich Town are back in Premier Leagueconfirming your promotion with a 2-0 win over Huddersfield. But what do they need to aim for to extend their stay in the top flight beyond next season?
Keep McKenna
Kieran McKenna has underlined his loyalty to Ipswich after consecutive promotionsalthough this is unlikely to deter bigger clubs from moving in, given their achievements over the last two and a half years.
Crystal Palace looked at him before signing Oliver Glasner, while his style of football and data-driven coaching side suits Brighton should there be a change of manager. It would be easy to see McKenna’s name discussed in the boardrooms of the Premier League’s top clubs.
“This kind of speculation has been around for two years, to be honest,” McKenna said. “I have shown loyalty to the club through this and I am delighted to have persisted and achieved what we have achieved.
“And there are still big and exciting things to come for the football club. I’m enjoying the work and really focused on this journey.”
Players on loan
McKenna is expected to urge his loan players to remain at Portman Road after helping them reach the top flight. Chelsea midfielder Omari Hutchinson has been a huge success in the Championship and looks ready for the Premier League. He still has one season left at Stamford Bridge, so a decision will be made about his long-term future this summer.
Kieffer Moore, on loan from Bournemouth, suits the way McKenna plays, while Brighton’s Jeremy Sarmiento is an interesting prospect.
There are hopes that some could become permanent deals, in the same way that George Hirst turned his loan from Leicester City into a transfer last summer.
“It’s certainly a special group and [we] We had success last year keeping the group together and bringing in someone like George after he went out on loan and the way he’s grown,” McKenna said. “We will analyze all possibilities to build the strongest squad possible. The players on loan this season have been an absolute credit to themselves and a large part of the group.”
Cunning Transfers
McKenna has kept pretty much the same squad from League One to the Premier League and that will be a huge step up for some of the players. Radical changes to a squad rarely lead to success, although failing to invest in the right players and letting others go proved disastrous for Sheffield United a year ago.
Finding one or two players with Premier League experience will be important in a competitive market for those moving up the Championship.
Fitness
Ipswich players talk about the demands on McKenna in training, with the foundations of his success built on the training pitch. They will look to match the work rate of their Premier League opponents and then allow their creative players to capitalize on their chances.
“How demanding is he? I’ll tell you an example, we just got promoted and arrived on Tuesday!” said defender Luke Woolfenden.
“But to put it this way, we test body fat more than ever in my entire career, we run more, we work hard in the gym. Recovery is huge for us and as a group it is probably the most professional group I have ever met and it has really helped.
“And like I said, when you work so hard, it takes away the nerves and you don’t leave things to chance.”
Initial form
Portman Road created a frenetic atmosphere on Saturday as McKenna’s side sealed automatic promotion. The party will continue next season when the clubs arrive in Suffolk, with every match a cup final for the fans after a 22-year absence from the Premier League. Making it an intimidating place to travel will be important for survival.
“I know it is a huge step forward for all departments at the football club and it will be a huge challenge to be competitive in the Premier League, but they are challenges to be faced,” said McKenna.
Share the goals
McKenna has not relied on a striker to score every goal this season, unlike other clubs such as Leicester (Jamie Vardy, 18 goals), Leeds (Crysencio Summerville, 19 goals) or Southampton (Adam Armstrong, 21 goals). In fact, no Ipswich player is in the Championship’s top 10 goalscorers list this season.
“Certainly, if someone wants to score more than 25 points, we’re not going to stop them,” McKenna said. “And all the boys did a great job to contribute to the goals, but yes, part of our culture is to be a team because that is what will help us be successful.
“It was about having different ways of scoring goals and having different threats on the team. Anyone who has watched us regularly knows that part of our strategy is to rotate our forwards throughout the season and throughout the game. Therefore, not many play 90 minutes a week.
“But we feel like we’ve developed our threats and a lot of different ways of scoring goals and that’s reflected.”
