Massimo Luongo outlines when Ipswich can declare themselves a contender for the championship.
Massimo Luongo, a star player for Ipswich, is unsure if he will play for Australia in the Asia Cup in January, but he thinks the Tractor Boys will know by then if they are serious contenders for promotion.
Kicking off a hectic December, Kieran McKenna’s team takes on fierce rivals Norwich, Leeds, and leaders Leicester this afternoon at Portman Road.
Luongo, 31, was not included in the Australian team for nearly five years prior to being called up in October due to his excellent performance at Ipswich. With everything riding on the line in Suffolk, he is not considering spending a month in Qatar, though.
He remarked, “If you know the Socceroos’ history, they’re last-minute call-ups.” When tournaments occur, certain players are exaggerated by the media. It’s always unpredictable who will be chosen and who won’t. When we get to that bridge, we’ll cross it.
When it comes down to it, I’m sure I’ll talk to people both over here and over there. Since I really can’t say no, I’ll just have to settle in and concentrate on the games we have till then.
The matchups with Norwich, Leeds, and Leicester between December 16 and Boxing Day may have Ipswich supporters giddy with anticipation. But Coventry, the defeated play-off finalists from the previous season who have turned things around with three straight clean sheets, will be up first.
McKenna, the manager, won’t acknowledge that his team is vying for promotions on a regular basis. However, if Ipswich keeps up their current pace over the next four weeks, he might find it hard to refute.
“December will highlight which teams are going to push and which aren’t,” Luongo continued. Why not [us] since there’s a reason we’re there? Although difficult, these are exciting times. It will be interesting to see where we are, but we might come out of it in this period before the new year.
