Former Norwich City striker and BBC pundit Chris Sutton delivered another dig at Ipswich Town before their Premier League clash at Brighton this Saturday.
Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich, who have one point from their first three matches of the campaign, face another tricky test at in-form Brighton.
Fabian Hurzeler, who received the Premier League manager of the month award today, has steered his Albion team to wins against Everton and Manchester United, plus a draw at Arsenal.
Sutton thinks the Tractor Boys are in for a tough time at the Amex Stadium and also gave another subtle dig to Ipswich Town and their fans.
“People think I am anti-Ipswich, but I am not,” wrote Sutton for his Premier League predictions piece on the BBC website. “I like Kieran McKenna and the way his team plays, I just think Norwich is a far nicer place to live.
“They got their first point on the board against Fulham before the international break and I like the way they are going about things. I still expect them to get relegated but they have been smart with the players they have brought in, and they are giving it a go to try to stay up.
“I don’t see them getting anything at Brighton, however, because the Seagulls have got off to an absolute flyer under Fabian Hurzeler, and it is going to be tough for Ipswich to keep Kaoru Mitoma quiet.” Chris Sutton prediction: 3-1.
Brighton boss Hurzeler is however expecting a tough test against McKenna – a manager who was heavily linked with the Brighton job before Hurzeler took charge this summer.
“In the Premier League there’s no easy game and especially now against Ipswich it’s a team with a great coach and he has a great idea,” said Albion’s German head coach. “They have great players like Hutchinson, especially very, very good number 10, very flexible. Delap in front, a very good striker, a young striker.
“I’ve followed his [McKenna] way for a long time already and they have created a great togetherness. They have a great idea. They attack very intensely, they press – not clearly man-to-man – but its very man rotated the way they’re pressing.
“So it will be very intense and it will be a big challenge for us. You can’t compare this game to the games before. There won’t be any repetition of any game this season and there’s always a new challenge and we try to face this challenge and we are looking forward to it.”
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