There are, of course, many reasons why we might have struggled at Ipswich. The hosts, for a start, have made a habit of 1-1 draws in recent weeks and seem to be playing with a little more freedom now that safety seems a distant dream. Windy conditions (a good enough excuse for Jurgen Klopp recently) might have contributed to turning the game into a poor spectacle and the team had a general air of ‘bring on that international break’ about it, even though I’m sure that was sub-conscious. I do think we’re starting to see a little rust from players who were thrown into the heat of the Championship battle mid season. In truth, we’ve got more out of Benalouane, Yates, Pele and Milosevic than I thought we would – and we’re forcing Murphy into more of a role than is ideal due to Grabban’s continued absence. Joao Carvalho, the much-discussed big money transfer, has never played so many games of men’s football, a fact that shouldn’t be forgotten on top of the continued process of acclimatising to the English game.
Yet, rust, exhaustion, wind and a better-than-expected opposition are all factors that a top six side would still overcome. If you’re going up you find a way, even when some cards are stacked against you, to come out on top. I’ve never felt we’re quite in a position to make the play-offs come May at any point this season and days like this do nothing to change my mind. We need to discover the winning mentality that sets the likes of Norwich apart from the pack.
Again, though, that doesn’t mean I’m on a massive downer or about to start a naff hashtag. We’re definitely making progress as a club when compared to where we’ve come from, and I’m happy enough with our broad direction. Let’s be honest, it’s easier to ‘find a way’ on days like last Saturday if you have a settled style and stick with a manager for more than five minutes. Once again, we’re switching tactics mid season under a new boss who is having to work from his predecessor’s blueprint and player pool. O’Neill’s whole reign will have to operate on fast forward as he aims to condense 2-3 years of work into 18 months – but that doesn’t mean we should ignore that it’s hard to address all the details on fast forward.
The international break should give us the chance to press pause and work on a few things – and to allow a few players to shake off injuries and/or rust. I’m sure O’Neill is smart enough to have diagnosed all the issues we have – and he’s spoken well about the lack of consistency that has dogged this collection of players all season. He’s still learning the limitations of his squad – and feeling the ill effects of a lack of firepower. Grabban’s goals – and constant threat – gives the side a different dimension but O’Neill has also had to do without third top scorer Matty Cash too. Players such as Hilal Soudani and Diogo Goncalves were recruited to help make a difference from the bench but injury and form have rendered their impact minimal. With few obvious options to chase a game, O’Neill has needed to tinker to try different faces and formations to force the issue.
I feel the run-in after this break is important, but not in a ‘top six or else’ way. Finishing strongly will help to maintain the goodwill around the club that continues to translate into impressive ticket sales. It will also give the players confidence that they belong in the promotion race and the owners the assurance that O’Neill and co can lead a challenge next season. It might also be influential in persuading Jack Colback to return to the club for another campaign. Not only that, but if O’Neill can end the season on a high with 7/8 players settled in terms of his starting XI then we’ve finally got something to build on and won’t need to take several steps back for another tiresome whole scale rebuild.
Of course, if the opportunity arises to surge into the play offs then that would be a bonus. It might take six wins from the last eight – unprecedented form this season – and trips to the Sheffield clubs and the visit of Pulis’ Boro might make it tough to get a run together. Conquering our chronic inconsistency and getting everything to click together is a massive ask and Ipswich only served to demonstrate the challenge ahead. Manage it and Martin will have pulled off a minor miracle and we’ll all be happy – even the most miserable of Twitter trolls. Finishing strongly and demonstrating decent progress are more realistic aims and are the important first steps towards next season. That’s a mission we should all bear in mind over the remaining eight games – and the context in which individual performances can legitimately be judged.
