Ipswich Town: Things to look forward to in final Premier League games

Ipswich will face Everton on Saturday afternoon (Image: PA)

Revenge at Goodison

Starting off with Saturday’s game, the obvious talking point will be the penultimate clash at Goodison Park.

There will be plenty of talk and build-up going into the match. The home fans are planning a big display, which will be the last one before moving to Bramley-Moore Dock. It will also be Town’s first away game against Everton in more than 23 years.

Goodison Park is one of the iconic English grounds, nicknamed ‘the Grand Old Lady’. It opened all the way back in 1892, hosted a semi-final game in the 1966 World Cup and has been the Toffees’ home as they lifted eight of their nine league titles, five FA Cups and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.

It would also be nice to spoil their party a bit.

Everton gave Ipswich a bit of a reality check at Portman Road back in October. They were physical, aggressive and clinical. Town will argue that they should have had a penalty in that game – perhaps they should.

Going there and taking three points would feel pretty sweet, even if it means nothing for the season.

Kieran McKenna is faced with an injury crisis in his first-team squad (Image: PA)

A chance to rotate

Ipswich are faced with a plethora of injury issues at the moment. Hopefully we can see Omari Hutchinson starting games again soon. It would be nice to see Sammie Szmodics back before the end of the season too. We’ll have to see what happens with Axel Tuanzebe, Conor Townsend and Nathan Broadhead.

Although Kieran McKenna is adamant that he wants to play his strongest possible team to win as many games as possible, there has to be an eye on the future. Julio Enciso won’t be here next season, nor will Kalvin Phillips and Ben Godfrey. A return for Jens Cajuste seems unlikely as well.

Luke Woolfenden has been in and out of the team, but may end up being a regular between now and the end of the season. Jack Taylor is in a similar position, as is Massimo Luongo, although there will naturally be question marks about the latter and whether he will move on this summer.

With Liam Delap a target for the biggest clubs in Europe, could George Hirst play more regularly? It would surely put him in a good position to resume his role as the club’s first-choice striker in the Championship.

Youngsters Somto Boniface and Tommy Taylor have been on the bench in the last few weeks. Could we see them get a few minutes at some point? It would be a great experience for them.

The Blues have struggled in high-pressure games this season (Image: PA)

Pressure-free football

Premier League football is stressful.

Throughout this season, we’ve seen Ipswich take on the best teams in the world, knowing the pressure they have faced to get results. In the end, it hasn’t really worked out.

We’ve seen individual mistakes and late heartbreak, particularly in the first half of the campaign. We’ve had the elation of taking the lead in games so often, but have thrown away the most points from winning positions of any team in the league.

They have failed to win high-pressure home games, drawing with Leicester City (in controversial circumstances) while losing to Southampton and Wolves. It’s all over now, the season is done. It’s not what we hoped for, but we can sit back and enjoy the final four games.

There’s always a demand to be competitive and get results, but it will have no impact on Town’s future. Being able to actually watch and appreciate the game without going through the motions might, in a way, be quite nice.

In a way, this will be a precursor to pre-season. Fun in the sun, hopefully, and a chance to enjoy the sport for what it is.

Town will look to secure an 18th-place finish in the Premier League (Image: Ross Halls)

Finish top of the three

Well, maybe there is something to play for.

Barring a complete disaster, Ipswich will finish above Southampton. The gap between the two teams is 10 points, with 12 still to play for. The Saints will be more focused on avoiding the record-low points total of 11, which they are currently on, level with that terrible Derby County side of 2007/08.

Leicester, however, could still climb above Town. The Foxes are on 18 points while the Blues are on 21. The difference in goal difference is -49 for Leicester and -41 for Ipswich.

Does it mean anything? Yes, it does.

Firstly, financially. Premier League teams get UK and international payments. The latter is the same across the board, but the former is different. There’s an equal share payment that every club gets (£31.2m last season), while the facility fees cover the amount of times that they have been shown on TV.

The merit payments are dependent on where a team finishes. Last season, Luton Town in 18th got £5.1m while Burnley and Sheffield United below them got £3.4m and £1.7m respectively. It may seem like small beans, but every little counts.

On top of that, there’s the psychological boost. There’s every chance that Ipswich will be battling Leicester and Southampton for promotion next season. Finishing ahead of them this season may give Town a slight mental advantage.

Ipswich will look to return to the top flight at the first time of asking (Image: PA)

Enjoy it while you can!

Some people hate the Premier League and want Ipswich back in the Championship as soon as possible.

VAR and dodgy refereeing decisions. Quiet atmospheres. A league dominated by the ‘big six’. A huge financial disadvantage for every team that comes into the top flight. There are plenty of issues.

But wishing it away, to me, seems silly.

We can’t sit around talking about perspective forever, but thousands of fans will have dreamed for years about Town reaching this point. Getting to go to the biggest stadiums in the sport to play the best teams is a world away from hosting Accrington Stanley and Morecambe, for example.

The Championship is a great league, I love it. It’s competitive and unpredictable. The Blues will win more games, get to experience a Hollywood clash against Wrexham and welcome the return of the East Anglian derby.

But there’s a reason why the Premier League has the best players and the most interest on a global scale. Everyone wants to be a part of it, and Ipswich’s long-term objective is to be a sustainable club at the level.

So enjoy these last four games. Enjoy watching Delap and Cajuste. Enjoy games against the likes of Everton and Brentford.

Then we can focus on next season, where Ipswich will surely be aiming to bounce straight back up.