Your ITFC 11

The players are back, new faces are through the door and the season is only 3 weeks away. As daunting as that may be, it’s time to get down to business; the business of working out how Paul Lambert will shape his squad heading into the new season.

It’s no secret that Lambert has one hell of a job on his hands, which will ultimately end in disappointment if Town aren’t promoted, despite what the Scotsman may say about expectations. The true expectation, amongst the vast majority of fans, is that Town should be in the top 6 at the very least… with some saying that anything other than promotion is unacceptable.

We have the squad for it. I’ve no doubt that 2 or 3 faces will be added before Town travel to Burton, but the squad already in place is more than capable of making a challenge for the League One title. Of course, we don’t want to disrespect the opposition in the league, but Town really should be walking through the vast majority of the sides they play.

With that in mind, I took to Twitter to gauge the opinion of the ITFC community, regarding the current squad. Through a series of polls, I handed over the managerial reigns to the Town fans to decide: what formation should be played and who should occupy each position as a starter. The results are in… and they’re very interesting…

Formation: 4-3-2-1

Since Paul Lambert took over from Paul Hurst last season, Town have adopted a 4-3-3 formation, imitating what has become one of the most popular systems in modern football. The likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Barcelona mostly adopt this style of play… but Ipswich aren’t exactly winning any Premier League or Champions League trophies any time soon.

Playing a bank of four, with three versatile midfielders, two speedy wingers and a clinical striker is a good idea on paper, it’s simply evident that Town didn’t have the firepower to be able to do that last campaign.

With that in mind, I gave the fans three choices:

• 4-4-2
• 4-3-3
• 4-2-3-1
• 4-5-1

The 4-2-3-1 formation came out as an overwhelming winner, claiming 61% of 59 votes. It’s hard to tell what system Lambert will play next season, with my heart saying 4-2-3-1, but my head’s leaning towards the 4-3-3 style that Town played last term. The main aim of the 4-2-3-1 formation is to utilise the attacking midfielder, the spare man that sits in behind the forward. By utilising his capabilities, his aim is to bring others into play, supplying balls for the wide-men, whilst also being able to shoot on site when necessary.

Given the options Town have, I, like the majority of Town fans, believe that the 4-2-3-1 formation is best suited to Town next season. The amount of midfield options is vast, something we’ve mentioned on this blog before. Therefore, utilising the mix of holding midfielders and attack-minded middle-men, could well be the key to success for Town.

Goalkeeper – Bartosz Bialkowski

Onto the team now and where else to start but Goalkeeper?

Town have two solid Goalkeeper options heading into the new season, with Bartosz Bialkowski and Thomas Holy the two men fighting for the number 1 spot. In the polls, it was the Pole who came out on top, claiming 71% of 82 votes. It’s not exactly difficult to see why, the three time player-of-the-year is still very much a fan favourite, despite question marks over his performances last season.

Bart’s future may yet be undecided, but if he stays, he’ll easily be the best ‘Keeper in League One, despite rough displays last term. As for Holy, he may have to wait to take his chance, but I’ve no doubt that he will see plenty of game time, with Town likely to play more games this season than ever before! The gargantuan Czech will certainly increase the average height of the Town bench next season, but I’m certain we’ll see him take the reigns from Bartosz Bialkowski sooner, rather than later.

Right-Back – Josh Emmanuel

The Right-Back spot seems to be a cause for concern for some Town fans, but I can’t honestly say I share that same view. Both Josh Emmanuel and Janoi Donacien are capable full-backs with plenty of ability between them. I can see Town putting emphasis on attack-minded full-backs next season and both Donacien and Emmanuel are capable of getting forward. 2 years ago, Josh Emmanuel was voted Rotherham’s young player of the season, a season in which they got promoted from League One! On top of that, it’s well worth remembering that Town paid close to a million pounds for Donacien, a player who could easily step-up into League One.

Ultimately, it was Town’s academy prospect Emmanuel that won the poll, claiming 62% of 39 votes. Ultimately, the battle to claim the starting Right-Back spot will be a compelling competition, with both Donacien and Emmanuel eager to truly kick-start their careers. I have a sneaky feeling that, when we look back on the season in 12 months times, Right-Back may just be one of our strongest positions.

Centre-Backs – Toto Nsiala and Luke Woolfenden

It’s no secret that Town are short on defensive options. There are only 3 centre-backs at the club with any professional appearances under their belt, and one of those hasn’t played consistently in either League One or The Championship. Currently, Town don’t appear to be in the market for a centre-back, something that is leaving many fans, reporters and avid Ipswich bloggers, scratching their heads.

However, from the defenders currently at the club, Toto Nsiala and Luke Woolfenden won their respective polls. Toto was up against Town’s rising star Corrie Ndaba, whilst young Woolfenden faced club captain Luke Chambers. Toto won 98% of 41 votes, whilst Woolfenden scraped past Chambers with 53% of 43 votes, one of the closest polls in the series. Ultimately, after Chambers has served his suspension, he will most likely be back in the team. Nsiala finished last season with a flourish and Woolfenden is certainly more than good enough to step into Town’s first team. However, despite their poor performances as a partnership last season, I can see Chambers and Nsiala being the dominant pair at the back next season.

Left-Back – Luke Garbutt

It says a lot about your options at left-back when someone who, at the time of writing, hasn’t yet signed for the club, is winning your poll to be occupying that position. Unfortunately for Town youngster Myles Kenlock, he just simply isn’t good enough yet to be a starter for the club. Solid, well-rounded competition is exactly what he needs to kick-start his career and I believe the addition of Luke Garbutt will help take some pressure off of Town’s young left-back.

Garbutt, likely to join on loan from Everton in the coming days, claimed 62% of 40 votes, in a poll that also included a wild-card option in Tristan Nydam, a player I hope gets a good loan spell for the 2019/20 campaign.

Garbutt’s capabilities in defence remain to be seen, but he comes with a decent pedigree that could be a big boost in aiding Town’s promotion bid.

Holding Midfielders- Flynn Downes and Emyr Huws

Any number of players could occupy these roles for Town. For some perspective, Andre Dozzell, Cole Skuse and Jon Nolan all missed out in these polls, three incredibly capable players. However, the thought of a Flynn Downes and Emyr Huws combo is enough to set the mind on fire, with both men offering different kinds of midfield play. The return of Emyr has been one of the high points of the summer; there’s no doubt amongst fans that he could be the best midfielder in League One if he can stay fit. But that’s a big ‘if’.

Flynn Downes, as we well know, is the future of the club, arguably the most exciting youngster at Portman Road. His old-fashioned, hard-hitting style is just what Town need in the heart of their midfield and I would be shocked if Downes wasn’t one of the first names on the team sheet most weeks. With Emyr’s fitness up in the air, I’m going to disagree with the polls and say that Jon Nolan, one of the most capable players in the Town squad, should be partnering Downes in the midfield next season. Ultimately, I can see the midfielder pairing, or trio (depending on Lambert’s system) changing most weeks, allowing all players their fair share of game time in the heart of the Ipswich side.

Attacking Midfielder – Alan Judge

A fully fit Alan Judge is unplayable, whether it’s League One or The Championship. If the Irishman can maintain his current fitness levels, he will be one of Town’s stand-out performers next season.

Again, just to emphasise the plethora of options Town have in this position, Alan Judge beat off competition from Teddy Bishop in the poll, claiming 92% of 38 votes. However, if Town decide to operate with a floating attacking midfielder, it could well be a position open to a number of players. Judge is likely to be called-up to the Ireland squad throughout the course of the season, meaning he’ll miss the odd game here and there. When this happens, it allows any one of Bishop, Nolan, even Dozzell to step into Judge’s shoes and attempt to steal his place.

The wealth of quality in Town’s midfield is staggering, only time will tell how Lambert keeps them all happy, but I’ve no doubt that this midfield, full of both youth and experience, is already one of the finest midfield’s that League One has ever seen.

Wingers – Gwion Edwards and Jack Lankester

Oh, this is exciting…

Injury-free Gwion Edwards, as we know, is a real gem of a player. His performances throughout the course of last season emphasise just how good he is, and that’s only going to get better in a league below. As for Lankester, he’s a player with all the passion and quality to become an Ipswich legend. These polls weren’t exactly close, with Gwion beating Freddie Sears with 78% of 36 votes and Jack beating Danny Rowe, a potential dark horse for Town next season, with 90% of 52 votes.

The roles of the wide-men will be vital in Town’s potential success next season, with James Norwood in desperate need of the right service. As stated before, both Freddie Sears and Danny Rowe represent good back-up choices, with Freddie able to play any where across the front 3. Despite concerns that there may not be enough fire power in the wide areas, I think this post emphasises that Town have plenty of quality… More than enough quality to go back up at the first time of asking.

Striker – James Norwood

There was only going to be one winner.

James Norwood, the newly-crowned lord of Ipswich Town, won his poll by a landslide, claiming 92% of 49 votes, beating both Jordan Roberts and Kayden Jackson.

Norwood’s record speaks for itself, helping Tranmere to back-to-back promotions, whilst also being the joint highest scorer in England last season with 32 goals. Joining on a free from Tranmere, Norwood could prove to be one of the best pieces of business Town have ever done. The cheeky hair-line king looks like he’s jelling well with the rest of the squad, especially with a certain Alan Judge, a man who could be presenting Norwood with plenty of chances next season.

Striker, along with centre-back, look like the only two areas that Town need to strengthen next season, with Norwood in need of compeition… Possibly Will Keane?

Kayden Jackson will likely play a role as an impact substitute next season, with Jordan Roberts purely a utility player who isn’t yet good enough to step into the first team. Lord Norwood, however, is a man that has already grabbed the hearts and minds of the Town fans… let’s hope he can get three promotions in a row.

And there you have it! Your ITFC 11 for the new campaign. Thank you to everyone who voted in the polls, more will be on their way soon. If you didn’t vote and want to be involved next time, follow me on Twitter @Hubitfc

There are concerns, on the social media’s, that Town don’t have enough in their locker to secure immediate promotion. However, I offer the contrary, proving that Town have more than enough quality already in their squad to challenge the rest of League One.

One things for sure, it will be a fascinating season of ups and downs… Maybe sealed with promotion…