How in the world are Ipswich Town and the Championship joint leaders?
When I say that, I’m only kidding around half. Without a doubt, Erik ten Hag’s first season in charge was a great success because, despite the chaos caused by Cristiano Ronaldo and the Glazer family, the Dutchman managed to secure a third-place finish and a Carabao Cup.
However, Man Utd and their manager are struggling a few months into the 2023–24 campaign, and part of the reason for this is their blatant lack of identity.
The Ten Hag administration’s cracks have been partially patched up by Manchester United’s recent run of four wins in five Premier League games, as his team has narrowly defeated Brentford, Sheffield United, Fulham, and Luton Town.
Ten Hag is capable of being a top-tier manager, as demonstrated at Ajax, but he is giving in to the dysfunctional Old Trafford culture, which they hope will be constructively changed by new owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
While McKenna, the former coach of the Red Devils, is enjoying life at Ipswich Town, Ten Hag is having difficulty molding Man Utd around his Ajax-inspired coaching philosophy.
He joined Ipswich at the end of 2021, when the team was floundering in League One and unable to mount a credible challenge for relegation to the Championship.
At the time, the appointment of McKenna was seen as a bit of a risk, but since they were having trouble breaking through their stagnation, they were wise to think creatively and are now benefiting from that audacious decision.
It appears that some Football League teams have changed their strategy recently. Legendary coaches are getting their first chance at managing, while veterans like Steve Bruce and Dean Smith are being passed over for positions.
With Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior dominating the Championship, this is mostly working out well. However, McKenna may be the best manager in the Football League under 40.
In McKenna’s 100th game in charge, Ipswich takes on West Brom at the Hawthorns on Saturday night. Since the 37-year-old took over nearly two years ago, the team has made great strides.
Ipswich now have an obvious style of play thanks to McKenna, and it’s bloody entertaining to watch. Their ability to switch formations quickly and their possession-based style of play allow them to dominate most of their opponents. The head coach has instilled an appealing front-foot mentality in their technically gifted attacking players.
During the final 19 games of the previous season, Ipswich’s performance and consistency reached terrifying heights as they defeated Sheffield Wednesday to secure the second automatic promotion spot behind champions Plymouth Argyle.
The Tractor Boys would have had an easy transition into the Championship even without their summer strengthening, which is not often the case for teams moving up from the third division.
Although Ipswich is in a better financial situation than most, the difference in budget between the two divisions is fairly noticeable, and they did not exactly spend a lot of money to close the gap.
Ipswich has spent more than £1 million on three different transfers under McKenna’s leadership: Leif Davis, Jack Taylor, and George Hirst joined from Leeds, Peterborough, and Leicester, respectively.
With the exception of the three players who have excelled at Ipswich, the team has skillfully used the loan market, bringing in players such as Dane Scarlett from Tottenham, Omari Hutchinson from Chelsea, and Brandon Williams from Manchester United this season.
Although Ipswich’s team is not the strongest in the Championship when looking at it on paper, McKenna’s coaching has been so good that it has allowed them to have an incredible start to the season.
FEATURE: A pair from Cardiff City joins the sextet of Leeds United, Leicester, and Ipswich in the Championship XI for the current season.
Having been riding high at the end of the previous season, Ipswich was bound to enter the Championship with a lot of confidence.
Few could have predicted that they would perform this well, but many predicted them to be this season’s unexpected promotion candidate.
With 16 games played, Ipswich and Leicester City are tied for first place in the Championship with 39 points apiece, nine points ahead of Leeds United in third.
Only Daniel Farke’s team has defeated Ipswich in the Championship this year, and in 45 league games played so far in 2023, they have only lost twice. Just absurd.
It was going to take something special to separate the teams at the top of the Championship this season given the strength of the teams descending from the Premier League, and Ipswich are on track to do just that.
Even though I predicted they would finish third in my most recent 23/24 table projections, I would be thrilled to be proven wrong on this one. It would be a fantastic story if Ipswich were to become just the fourth team in history to win consecutive automatic promotions from League One to the Premier League.
“How the f*** are Ipswich Town joint-top of the Championship?” I posed in the headline.
A valid question, considering that Ipswich has no business being in their current position given the caliber of their squad. However, they are exceeding all expectations because of the incredible job McKenna is doing to maximize the performance and tactical potential of his entire team.
The explanation therefore centers on McKenna’s skill as a manager, who turned down a lucrative position at Manchester United to deal with the pressures of being a full-time head coach in the Football League.
Ten Hag could take a cue from the former Manchester United coach about how to effectively build a club around your image. McKenna is, quite frankly, putting the Dutchman to shame. His bet on himself has made it inevitable that he will become a Premier League manager himself.
