Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna sees ‘a lot of positives’ in defeat to Liverpool on club’s Premier League return
Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna felt there were plenty of positives to take from the Blues’ opening-day performance, despite his side falling to a 2-0 home defeat to Liverpool.
Goals from Diogo Jota and Mo Salah on 60 and 65 consigned Town to a loss in their first Premier League fixture in 22 years.
“I think there were a lot of positives to take. Of course, mostly in the first half,” McKenna said.
“I thought it was a really strong first-half performance. We made it a really difficult game for Liverpool, we pressed really well, our organisation was very good, we were physical, we were aggressive, we were brave out of possession and in possession we did a lot of good things as well.
“We found a really nice mixture between showing our bravery and our composure to build short passes, but also used the physical presence that we had on the top line with Wes [Burns] and with Liam [Delap] and I thought we gave a really, really strong team a lot of problems.
“I think it was a really positive first half performance and I think we showed all the ingredients that we’re going need to have a good season this season.
“Of course, the challenge for us then is that we have to be able to do that for longer, we have to be able to do that for 90 minutes or in the periods where we can’t be like that we have to find ways to manage the game and be how we would want to be in that phase.
“I think there were a lot more positives to take from the game. Of course, the second half was difficult and Liverpool kicked into their stride and the game got away from us, but I think the players should be really proud of their efforts and the way that they managed to step up.
“I think they all come away from the game more confident in terms of feeling like they can compete at this level, that they can play at this level, but also knowing that there are a lot of areas for us to improve and that’s the job now, that’s the work and that’ll start on Monday.”
Asked what changed at half-time with Liverpool dominant in the second half, he added: “A number of different factors, but there weren’t huge differences tactically in the second half. Trent [Alexander-Arnold] played a little bit higher on the right-hand side, so there were a few little adjustments.
“I think our physical level dropped, that’s the reality of it. That’s understandable, one, because of the efforts that we’ve put into the first half, but also we’re very early on, we’ve got quite a few players out there playing their first ever game of Premier League football and 10 of the starting team were making their first ever start at Premier League level, so there’s an adjustment to the intensity.
“We have a few who haven’t completed the full pre-season, who probably are a little bit undercooked going into today, so I think there was a physical drop-off from us.
“Liverpool, credit to them, they showed their quality in their top line, especially in their ability to utilise the space in behind and play the ball in the space in behind for their fast runners.
“I think that’s the challenge that we’re going to face. The biggest thing for us in terms of lessons is, one, finding that level of execution in the first half to probably get the goal that I don’t think would have been undeserved.
“And managing the period in the second half when Liverpool were in full flow and playing really well. Just managing that phase of the game better so that even if we were 1-0 down, we could stay 1-0 down and manage to stay in the game. If we do that, we would have the possibility to push hard late in the game.
“You have to respect the level of the opponent, you have to respect the jump from our players and there’s not too much you can do criticise them on, but there’s details that we can improve on in the second half that will give us a better chance to stay dominant for longer.”
McKenna says he and his staff didn’t treat the match any differently despite the step up in level.
“We tried to prepare it as we normally would for a game, so we tried to keep everything as normal and we’ve had a good week of preparation,” he said.
“Of course, we acknowledged the achievement, the occasion for so many of the group to have been part of bringing Premier League football back to Ipswich for the first time in so long, and the way that we did it with back-to-back promotions is incredible and for 10 players to make their first Premier League start, that’s climbing the mountains.
“Such a small percentage of professional footballers manage to play in the best league in the world, so I’m very proud of them, they should be very proud of themselves, as I know they are, so we acknowledge that.
“But other that it was concentrating on the performance and I think you could say in the first half by how we performed, the players dealt with the occasion very, very well and managed to impose ourselves on a fantastic team and made it a really competitive game in that first half.”
The Blues manager had praise for the 30,014-strong crowd, who made themselves heard throughout.
“The supporters were fantastic,” he enthused. “We’ve had some great atmospheres here, we’ve had some noise in the last years but there were moments in the first half which was right up there with anything that we’ve had and the supporters were great.
“I think more importantly in the second half because in the first half, the excitement of the game, the flow of the game, the way it was going, the fact that we were having opportunities and pinning Liverpool in on occasion, of course, the supporters were right behind us.
“But I think more importantly for the season, in the second half when the game got away from us a little bit and Liverpool were the dominant team and looked like scoring, the crowd kept pushing the players, stayed right behind the team and stayed right with us to the end, and that helped the players play right to the last whistle, which they managed to do.
“I think they will have enjoyed the game. Of course, we want to win every game but they’ve seen their team and they’ve seen so many of the group that they’ve been proud of over the last couple of years, they’ve seen them go and compete for, OK, for 45 minutes, but they’ve seen them go and compete really well against one of the best teams in the league.
“They’ve had a good look at the level, they’ve seen the level and the challenge that’s ahead of us and I know and I really believe they’ll be with us every moment of every game.”
The Northern Irishman felt his team might have made more of a couple of attacking situations in the first half.
“It’s just our execution,” he said. “We had some big moments where we were breaking through the pitch and we had an overload on one or two occasions as well and it’s the execution and the timing of the pass, the angle and the weight of the pass, the timing of the supporting run and I think if we had have got those elements better, then we would have had a couple of big, big chances.
“That’s the challenge, developing our execution and developing our execution under big fatigue because the intensity and the level of the game is so high, you’re playing under more fatigue than the players will ever have played under before.
“And, of course, even if it is an overload situation, better defenders facing you in big environments and big pressure situations and executing in those situations will be key for us and something that can take from today and think that if we can improve on that, then certainly the scoreline could have been different at half-time.”
Reflecting on the mood in the dressing room following only Town’s second home league defeat in 40 matches, he added: “The players are positive down there. The group’s used to winning, we want to win every game and it’s never going to feel good not winning, it doesn’t matter if it’s home or away, it’s never going to feel good.
“The boys are positive down there. I think the overriding emotion for most of those who started the game should be pride and an increase in confidence that they showed that no matter where they’ve come from, that they can compete in the Premier League against one of the best teams.
“They’re positive down there, they also know that they’ve got strides to go, they also know that Liverpool were much better than us in the second half and deserved to win the game in that period.
“There’s a realistic mood down there, being proud of what we’ve achieved to get to this day and lots of elements to the performance that we can take confidence from individually and collectively but also knowing there’s some more strides to make and I’m sure the attitude and positivity on Monday will be really good to work on that.”
Town next have the tough task of a visit to champions Manchester City in a week’s time, but the Blues boss says he’s not unhappy that the season is starting in the manner that it is.
“The way the fixtures came out with Liverpool and Man City first two games, we take that as a real positive,” he insisted.
“We know that it’s going to give us a really good insight to the top echelons of the league and of club football in the world, to be honest, in the first couple of weeks.
“We know that the group is right in at the deep end but we feel like that can hopefully fast-track our adjustment and our development into this league.
“We take that as a positive. We know on the flip-side of it coming into the season that we’ll have no points after the first two games, but we also know that the league’s really difficult and the game after that’s Fulham, that’s another excellent team, who have had a couple of seasons in the league now. After that, I think it’s Brighton, so every game’s going to be difficult.
“For sure, we have two of the most dominant teams in the league early on, I think we’ll take positives from today, but other than that, it’s just going to be about our journey, just how we can continue to improve, both from a physical point of view and how we build that up over the next weeks and months, but also tactically and mentally and from a technical execution as well, how we can continue to improve over the next few months.
“We won’t spend much time talking about the league table or positions or points, that’s not how we work, that’s not how we’ve got to this point.
“It’ll be about full commitment to each game, giving each game our best, learn our lessons, train and prepare really well, train and prepare really well the next week and get ready to go again, and that’ll be the same whoever we play against.”
The club wasn’t commenting on Napoli midfielder Jens Cajuste having watched the game from the directors’ box with a season-long loan move understood to be close to being confirmed.
Burns suffers hamstring issue
Meanwhile, McKenna revealed keeper Aro Muric missed out on a Town debut with a minor calf problem, while Wes Burns suffered a hamstring issue in the second half.
Muric was a surprise omission from the starting line-up and McKenna says the Kosovan, a summer signing from Burnley, wasn’t ruled out until this morning.
“He got a knock in his calf in the early part of the week,” the Blues boss said.”We were hoping that he would be OK up until he had a fitness test this morning, but he wasn’t able to make it.
“I think that’s a big positive from the day, if I’m honest. That was such an important lesson for the group. Christian Walton’s come into the game not having played a league fixture for 15, 16 months, his last league fixture was in League One [at Fleetwood on the final day of 2022/23] and he’s trained and prepared all last season and didn’t manage to get minutes in the league.
“Lost his position through an injury [at the start of last season] and he’s stayed ready and performed really, really well today.
“I think there’s a big lesson for us and a big reinforcement for the group in terms of everyone being ready and everyone being needed and certainly that’s going to be the case all season and that showed up pretty well today.”
Burns’ injury sounds potentially more concerning, the Wales international making way just before the hour mark having picked up the injury just after half-time.
“Wes has a hamstring, so we don’t know the severity of it yet but I’m sure he will get assessed in the next few days,” McKenna added. “That’s a disappointing one, so we’ll have to assess that.”
