Ipswich Town last played in the Premier League during the 2001/2002 season, finishing 18th and being relegated to the second tier.
Now, under manager Kieran McKenna, they’re back in the Premier League for the 2024/2025 season, fighting to maintain their place in England’s top flight.
Similar to when Nottingham Forest got promoted a few years ago, Ipswich made a significant number of signings this year to boost their chances of survival.
Their transfers include a mix of young players with potential and experienced individuals capable of making an immediate impact, similar to Nottingham Forest’s approach when they signed 20 players upon their Premier League return.
In this Ipswich Town tactical analysis, we’ll explore some of Ipswichs most crucial signings, key players brought in to help the team navigate the relegation battle, and some fundamental tactics theyve been using.
Currently, Ipswich sit 17th in the table with eight points from 11 matches, just one point clear of Crystal Palace.
This leaves them narrowly above the relegation zone.
Through key data and tactical insights, we aim to provide a transparent overview of Ipswich’s season so far.
Their fight for survival looks to continue throughout the rest of the season.
Ipswich Town Transfer Arrivals 2024/2025
Ipswich Town made significant moves in the 2024/25 transfer window, spending €126.49m to strengthen their squad.
Ipswich Town Defensive Signings
Ipswich addressed their goalkeeping needs by signing Arijanet Muric, a 25-year-old goalkeeper from Burnley, for €9.55m.
For the backline, they brought in players capable of starting immediately, as well as others to add depth across multiple roles.
We start with Jacob Greaves, a 23-year-old centre-back from Hull City who signed for €21.5m, and Dara OShea, a 25-year-old centre-back from Burnley, who was signed for €14.2m.
At wingback, Conor Townsend, a 31-year-old left-back from West Brom, was bought for €590k alongside Ben Johnson, a versatile 24-year-old right-back from West Ham who came on free.
Ipswich Town Midfield Signings
Ipswich made their most notable additions in midfield, including players with international experience.
Sammie Szmodics is a 28-year-old attacking midfielder signed up from Blackburn Rovers for €10.6m.
Jens Cajuste is a 25-year-old defensive midfielder from Napoli who arrived on loan for €1.5m.
The most high-profile signing in midfield was Kalvin Phillips, who is on loan from Manchester City.
Ipswich Town Attacking Signings
In the attack, Ipswich brought in a few names.
One is Jack Clarke, a 23-year-old left winger from Sunderland who was bought for €17.7m.
Liam Delap, a sought-after young talent, is a 21-year-old centre-forward from Manchester City U21 who joined for €17.85m.
Omari Hutchinson is a talented 20-year-old right winger from Chelsea and has become Ipswich’s most expensive signing at €23.5m.
Chiedozie Ogbene is a 27-year-old right winger from Luton Town, who was signed for €9.5 million.
Ipswich Town Defensive Tactics
Despite Ipswich Towns investments in their defence and midfield during the 2024/25 transfer window, including the acquisition of experienced players like Kalvin Phillips, the team has conceded 22 goals so far this season, which ties them for the third-most in the Premier League.
Under Kieran McKennas tactics, their defensive vulnerability is not unexpected for a newly promoted side.
Still, it needs to be addressed and fixed quickly if they want to stay up in the league this year.
Ipswich Town typically adopts a traditional 4-4-2 formation, a straightforward and defensive setup that suits a team newly promoted to the Premier League.
This formation is very simplistic, which makes sense for a squad integrating numerous new players and focusing on survival rather than implementing complex tactics.
Their 4-4-2 formation is compact
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