Ipswich Town fans will be starting to get worried about their side’s lowly standing in the Premier League, with back-to-back abject displays souring the mood at Portman Road.
The 4-1 defeat to West Ham United away from home was a sobering watch, but that was reserved for the Tractor Boys faithful that made the trip to the London Stadium.
This more recent 2-0 loss to Everton was, however, the main viewing that all home sections of Ipswich’s ground had to endure, as a number of under performers struggled to ever get going for Kieran McKenna’s men against Sean Dyche’s victorious Toffees.
Ipswich underperformers vs Everton
It was a flat showing in truth from the Tractor Boys, who just need to pick up a win from somewhere in the league to boost confidence, having managed to evade victory in the Premier League now for eight matches on the spin.
The hosts did register 13 shots on Jordan Pickford’s net but it was to no avail, as the Ipswich defence unfortunately put in a shaky display, alongside no goal popping up next to their name.
Iliman Ndiaye’s opener saw Ipswich fail to deal with a Jack Harrison cross into the box, before the ex-Sheffield United man powered home, whilst Michael Keane’s game-clinching second saw a corner not be effectively cleared away which then allowed the Everton number five to confidently slot an effort past Arijanet Murić to make it 2-0.
Dara O’Shea was visibly weak in asserting himself into the contest at the back for McKenna’s men, with the former Burnley defender only managing to win a meagre one duel all afternoon, alongside also misdirecting a pass in the second half which nearly saw Ndiaye grab a brace.
Jack Clarke was wasteful from an attacking point of view, away from Ipswich’s defensive frailties, with the former Sunderland star skying an effort way over the bar early on in the contest which could have changed the complexion of the game if it had cannoned in.
He did win his side a penalty in the first 45 minutes when his tricky feet saw Dwight McNeil tangle with him in the box, but that decision was overturned by VAR in the end, in what was a frustrating afternoon to be associated with the Tractor Boys.
Clarke wasn’t the poorest performer in an attacking sense, however, as experienced Ipswich head Wes Burns continues to struggle to adapt to the bright lights of the Premier League.
Burns’ performance vs Everton
Away from what he offered going forward, Burns’ indecisiveness to clear the ball away before Ndiaye’s opener set the Toffees on their way to picking up the three points, with the ball bouncing before the Senegalese attacker scored past Muric.
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Moreover, the 29-year-old winger amassed fewer touches when on the pitch compared with the former Manchester City shot-stopper, accumulating a paltry 22 touches next to the ‘keeper’s 30, as the ex-Fleetwood Town man continually failed to leave his mark on the contest.
| Burns’ performance in numbers | |
|---|---|
| Stat | Burns |
| Minutes played | 63 |
| Goals scored | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Touches | 22 |
| Accurate passes | 12/14 (86%) |
| Accurate crosses | 0/3 |
| Accurate long balls | 0/1 |
| Total duels won | 0/4 |
| Stats by Sofascore | |
It was a day at the office for Burns where nothing really went to plan, with zero accurate crosses and zero accurate long balls registered, alongside also failing to win a single duel from four attempts.
He could also only complete 12 accurate passes, with Burns thankful to be substituted off just after the hour mark to put an end to his dire display.
There will be an inquest now as to who should start down this right flank moving forward, with the below-par Ipswich number seven needing to be dropped for someone else to get a chance, ahead of the Tractor Boys travelling to Thomas Frank’s Brentford next in the league.
The 29-year-old did very much play an important role in Ipswich unbelievably making it to the big time, having scored on the final day of the Championship season to secure automatic promotion bragging rights for his team, but the likes of summer recruit Chiedozie Ogbene could now be better suited as a fresher option in his place.
McKenna might well even rejig his main XI and opt to start Omari Hutchinson down this wing again, with the Ipswich manager in need of changing things up soon to avoid more and more defeats being notched up.
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