The international break arguably came at the worst possible time for Ipswich Town, as the Tractor Boys picked up their first win of the Premier League campaign away at Tottenham Hotspur before the pause for top-flight action then commenced.
The fixtures don’t get any easier, as Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United travel to Portman Road next, but Kieran McKenna’s men will be hoping they collect another scalp when the Red Devils make that long journey down to Suffolk.
McKenna will know he needs all of his troops performing at their best to pull off another shock victory, with a number of his players standing out with fearless displays in that 2-1 win away at Spurs.
Best Ipswich performers at Spurs
The obvious place to start here is highlighting the Ipswich goalscorers on the day, as Sammie Szmodics and Liam Delap shared the strikes in North London.
Szmodics’ strike would have sent the Ipswich away end into raptures after he acrobatically fired home an overhead kick, whilst Delap was in the right place at the right time to extend the lead shortly after to pick up his sixth goal of the Premier League campaign already.
No doubt Delap would love to make it seven for the season when Man United come to town, having been on the books of Manchester City as a youngster.
Omari Hutchinson will also want to back up a sublime showing at Spurs with another top display versus the Red Devils, as the ex-Chelsea attacking midfielder was lively throughout with five successful dribbles alongside a mightily impressive 12 duels being won.
There was one more excellent performer in that victory and he’s now beginning to rival some of the best in the Premier League.
The Ipswich star who is rivalling Cole Palmer
Away from the attackers at McKenna’s disposal, Leif Davis was also an energetic presence playing out from the back, with the ex-Leeds United prodigy taking to the top division well so far and proving he deserves to be playing week in week out next to some elite opponents.
Davis had garnered a reputation for being a top-drawer EFL performer before Ipswich’s insane rise up to the very pinnacle of English football, having been an assist king during his side’s automatic promotion heroics.
Last campaign, the slick 24-year-old would tally up a stunning 21 assists from 43 second-tier contests, on top of scoring two strikes, with that creative spark not absent from his game whatsoever making the huge leap up a league.
Davis netted the sumptuous first-time volley above against Leicester City at the start of the month, which was his first goal for McKenna’s men in the top division. He also has two assists to show for his efforts.
Labelled as a “remarkable” player by football pundit Jobi McAnuff for his ability to notch up so many assists from defence, his key pass numbers for the relegation-threatened outfit so far this campaign also make for some captivating reading.
1. Andreas Pereira
Fulham
30
2. Dejan Kulusevski
Tottenham
28
3. Cole Palmer
Chelsea
24
4. Leif Davis
Ipswich
24
5. Dwight McNeil
Everton
23
Looking at the table above, Davis has amazingly accumulated as many key passes as Chelsea superstar Cole Palmer, despite Palmer boasting three more assists in league action for Enzo Maresca’s men.
Davis has also bettered Bukayo Saka’s key pass numbers, with the 43-time England senior international on 21 for the season, compared next to his Ipswich counterpart’s heftier 24.
Therefore, McKenna will know the key to staying up this season is to get even more out of the explosive defender, starting with Man United up next when the hustle and bustle of the top-flight resumes.
It could make for a fascinating battle, with Amorim loving the use of expansive wing-backs like Davis in his own set-up, with the 24-year-old perhaps poached by a bigger club like the Red Devils in the near future if he can get to his A-Game in the Premier League.
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