Can Ipswich Town avoid relegation back to the Championship?

English football has been revitalised in recent years. Clubs such as Luton Town, Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Brentford have all earned promotion back to the top flight after long absences. Although Luton and Leeds have since returned to the Championship, their presence in the Premier League stirred things up and created captivating storylines.

Ipswich Town are the latest side to be welcomed back to the promised land of the English football pyramid.

The Tractor Boys gained back-to-back promotions under Kieran McKenna, finishing runners-up to Plymouth Argyle in League One before coming second to Leicester City by a single point in the Championship. 

Ipswich’s fairy-tale run marks their return to the top flight after a 22-year absence. However, the Premier League relegation odds are not in their favour. 

Only Leicester, who are set to be slapped with a hefty points deduction, are more favoured for the drop than the Tractor Boys, and it’s safe to say that recently promoted sides don’t have a good track record of keeping their heads above water.

There’s no doubt that Ipswich are going to find the stark rise in class from the Championship to the Premier League a struggle, and they will need to adapt quickly to life amongst the country’s elite if they are to avoid relegation back to the second tier. But where there is a will, there is a way, and Ipswich fans can certainly have a bit of hope while remaining level-headed.  

One of the major factors in Ipswich’s fight for survival will be their highly-rated manager, McKenna. The former Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur coach was linked with Chelsea and the Red Devils this summer, even becoming the favourite for both roles at one stage in the Premier League odds.  

However, he remained loyal to the job he started with the Tractor Boys, pouring cold water over the speculation that he could be on his way out of Portman Road by signing a new four-year deal with Ipswich at the end of May. 

The Northern Irishman has been highly praised for his style of play and footballing philosophy during his three seasons with the Tractor Boys. If he can ensure that Ipswich continue playing the way they have in recent campaigns, then they have every chance of picking up enough points to avoid relegation. 

McKenna only needs to look at Burnley last season to see how changing to a more defensive style of football to try and stay afloat doesn’t always work in your favour. Vincent Kompany transformed the Clarets into a swashbuckling machine when winning the Championship, and many expected them to do well in the Premier League, but a change in tactics saw them relegated straight back down. 

Ipswich should have a squad capable of mounting a strong challenge as well. Key players like Leif Davis, captain Sam Morsy, Nathan Broadhead and Conor Chaplin will all be up for the fight, while the club have forked out over £70 million at the time of writing to strengthen McKenna’s arsenal. 

Omari Hutchinson arrived from Chelsea for a club-record deal of £20 million, with Jacob Greaves, Liam Delap, Arijanet Muric and Conor Townsend also coming in for a fee, alongside Ben Johnson for free from West Ham United. 

Only time will tell if Ipswich can avoid relegation, but they certainly appear to have a solid foundation to build on going into the new Premier League season. If McKenna can find the right balance, then you just never know.  

 

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