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Episode 78 - Match Reaction: Arsenal 1-0 Ipswich
27 Plays11 days ago
Join Rob & Tom for a bonus weekend episode of the Daily Ipswich to look back on last night's narrow defeat at the Emirates. The lads pick the bones out of the few chances there was in the game, discuss Town's formation & setup and look ahead to the visit of Chelsea on Monday night.
The Daily Ipswich Podcast, part of the Global Sports Podcast Network, is the home of all your ITFC. Join us every weekday for the latest news, build-up and reaction in the club's first season back in the Premier League.
Host: Rob Binns
Guests: Tom Crack
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Transcript
00:00:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hello
Introduction to the Episode
00:00:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
and welcome back to The Daily Ipswich, brought to you by the Global Sports Podcast Network. And it's a bonus weekend episode here, purely because of the time frame, the way our games go. We've played our time of recording. We finished the game at the Emirates about 15 minutes ago. But of course, the way our real podcasts work, we don't usually come up on the weekend, which means by the time we come to Monday, it will be time for a crossover for the Chelsea game. so referring to get a very quick bonus episode for you here, joining myself, Rob Bins, for this little short Arsenal recap episode. It's Tom Crack. How
Arsenal Game Recap
00:00:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
you doing, mate?
00:00:46
Tom Crack - Ipswich
I'm very good, Rob. Hope you had a good Christmas as well as all you guys listening. I've been on the road today, leaving the in-laws onto other family matters. So I was kind of just going as the game came on and bit of a drab affair, I'm afraid. At least we didn't get battered by a team we expected to lose against. so I guess that's a bonus, but I don't know about you, Rob, and everyone else. This thing wasn't the most entertaining of Friday nights, was it? Shall we say?
00:01:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
No, it was a pretty dull one. says Best believe, I don't think this will be our longest match reaction episode ever, just purely due to the lack of content to talk about more than anything.
00:01:16
Tom Crack - Ipswich
yeah
00:01:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
But we will as always, we always do on these match reaction episodes. We'll dive in through the key chances later in the show. And we'll talk about the sort of setup we went with and how it differs compared to normal, because it was a slight change in personnel and formation.
00:01:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
so And obviously, he we'll do a bit of a look ahead to Chelsea as, again, just see a quick turnaround of games during this period of time. not
Expectations vs Reality: Arsenal Match
00:01:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
going to have a full preview episode out or be the crossover on monday so we'll do the final section today will be a mini chelsea preview from me and tom but what are your general thoughts on the game besides boring as we all in agreement with that or your general thoughts on the game do we what's the performance like do you think
00:01:58
Tom Crack - Ipswich
I think, you know, but but we these are one of those games when you come to the Premier League and especially where they've been the past few years. you wouldn't necessarily expect to really get anything, especially after what happened at home against Newcastle, or the game before as well. So really going into tonight into tonight, I was really just hoping for a good performance and an admirable
Game Dynamics & Arsenal's Dominance
00:02:16
Tom Crack - Ipswich
loss. I know it's quite a defeat of attitude, but like I said, considering where the two sides are, it's no shame to predict a loss going into a game like this. First half what I thought was really difficult apart from Schmonach's chance, which we'll discuss in a bit. Nothing really happened for us. I think there was one point where they had almost 200 plus passes. We had 11.
00:02:32
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Second half, slightly different, though. We grew into the game, bit of possession at the start, and obviously as we were fighting to try and get a late equalizer, a shock equalizer, bit more possession there as well.
Ipswich's Defensive Strategy
00:02:40
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Like you said, Rob, not loads of chances tonight, but key thing is, I think looking at it was, you know, we we grew into a game against a tough opposition on the road, which, you know, given how old results have gone recently, that's all I can ask for, to be honest. Clutching at straws, to be honest, mate. But the few positives that we had from it, I guess, yeah, like I said, playing well on the last stage against a decent side, it's always nice to see, isn't it?
00:03:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, we defended really well, I thought. that I was just saying to you before we started the recording that I was texting my mates before the game.
00:03:05
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yeah.
00:03:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
We said that yeah and what you've got to do against Arsenal, especially away from home, is the Everton approach. You've got to turn up and just they effectively stick as many players as you can behind the ball because Arsenal tend to struggle against low blocks and that sort of setup.
00:03:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
So then obviously now their response to that over the years has now been set pieces. so So if you can defend the way Everton did from open play, go there, try and frustrate Arsenal. And then if you've got the ability to defend set-pieces in the locker as well, you have a good chance to result. And that's what you've got to do. And then maybe you can go and try and nick one on the break, hold the ball up, and go from there. But this it was always going to have to be a boring game if we were going to get something from it.
Arsenal's Goal: What Went Wrong?
00:03:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
Everything me and my mates discussed in our chat before the game about got to defend well, made the game boring. Everything came true. Arsenal just put one.
00:04:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
high quality ball in. Greaves lost Haver as opposed to the only time in 95 minutes we've added time in both half. we switched one One person switched off once in 95 minutes and we conceded that's just the quality of of a team like Arsenal.
00:04:10
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yes.
00:04:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
And and what we seem to repeatedly find in the Premier League is that i wouldn't it's not even it's not even a mistake. It's literally just he switched off a half a second but in that half a second, Haberz has got a gold side of him and Trozard has put a good enough ball in to give him something to attack. that is That's simply the difference. that was say Not even a mistake, is it? So half a second of 95 minutes, one person switched off slightly and cost us the game in that sense. But the concerning part, well, not concerning really, we defended really, really well, but it was just a lack of threat going forward. Well, I know that was the issue because
00:04:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
I know I've been, again, reference to the Everton game, which was clearly the example we're trying to follow, that they also did nothing going forward, but they got the drawers to go about it, so you're not going to question it. But we are usually quite good at, obviously, we weren't against Newcastle, we said could we were missing the lap.
00:05:06
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Hmm. Hmm.
00:05:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
We usually good get the ball forward to lap while someone holds it up, and then we break from there. We didn't we couldn't pull that off at all, really. I think it was three we had three shots in total, none on target, and then you think,
00:05:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Our two best opportunities, if you can even call them that, because we didn't create anything clear cut, was Smodix in the first 20 seconds, and then that broadhead shot in the last 20 seconds, and everything in between. We didn't offer anything going forward, did we? That's probably the issue. right What's normally been one of our strengths was just we couldn't get anything together, could we? We couldn't hold it for more than a couple of passes, particularly first half.
00:05:50
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yeah, no, I think I just mentioned that the Smodex chance really kind of shows where that game was for us. that The fact that our biggest chance was this kind of flatter going forward from kickoff and almost getting something on it, you know, and, you know, the fact that, you know, as you said, Arsenal, predominantly i obviously have more chances than us. But, you know, that one brief moment where we lapse in concentration, they pounce in it.
00:06:11
Tom Crack - Ipswich
to ah the moment in which they didn't concentrate, we didn't pounce in it. And you know that's really proven to be key, isn't it? And I think as well, like you said about Dilap kind of going missing in this game, it's whenever he goes off and not, you know, he hasn't scored for a while. Let's be honest, he's he hasn't, I don't think he's scored since Spurs unless I'm and i'm wrong. But when he's not there, it just looks like a headless chicken up there. like I don't know who is going to be on the end of any ball going to the middle unless it's some sort of set piece, ah ah a winner like it was against Wolves or,
00:06:40
Tom Crack - Ipswich
A bit of magic from a really good substitution performance from Broadhub is not really anything to go from. So when he's not there, you're like, okay, I don't really know what's going to happen now. It's just, it's, it's difficult to really see where the goals are going to come from. You look at our ex-genus game, I think 0.16, which is, it's, it's really, really lackluster, isn't it? Yeah. Difficult, difficult evening.
Missed Opportunities by Ipswich
00:07:00
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Difficult evening.
00:07:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I think it was a struggle, wasn't it? so Some of the stats, are ah ah when they were putting them up in the bottom and corners of the screen during the game, I was jotting jo some of them down. I mean, Arsenal made just short of 670 passes.
00:07:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
And again, we got ourselves back up to 317 in the end, but a flashed up 20, I think it's 24th minute of the game. We made 11 successful passes.
00:07:27
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yeah.
00:07:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
We were averaging what a successful pass every two minutes in the early stages. Obviously we finished on 300 odds, so we turned it around in the end. But that's what I mean about zero touches in the Arsenal box in the first half, because obviously Smodix didn't get any contact on the ball in that opportunity in the first 20 seconds.
00:07:37
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yeah.
00:07:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
And that was the best we got. but They're the sort of like, you expected a bit more of an attacking threat than that. So they would have to hold it up someone, someone running off.
00:07:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
And it was said, we just couldn't keep hold of possession, which is also obviously, again, the quality of arsenal there. They pressed well when they ah because they had us pending for most of the first, especially first half, they were quite quick to pounce.
00:08:04
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Hmm.
00:08:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
and And so pretty much up until the goal that they were happy enough to sit off of it, then try not to force things because they had a lead to protect and focus on keeping the clean sheet that They say if the first, until they went one, they're like, they were really, they really had us pending, didn't they?
00:08:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
And it was, of course there's all sorts of problems, but yeah, it just, it was just very, very dull viewing, which was ultimately what we had to do.
00:08:31
Tom Crack - Ipswich
yeah
00:08:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
Cause if we we could have gone there, had to go, and we might be seeing it talking about five nil defeat, but we thought we might've had a couple of good chances, but so if we lost them, you'd rather lose one in the context of obviously what's going on in the league.
00:08:37
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Mm.
00:08:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
You'd rather lose one nil and five, one wouldn't you? if it could have gone something like that. But we'll see. But I have a quick break to hear from one of our sponsors now, and then we'll dive through the very few amount of key chances there was in the game.
00:09:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
and we are back for the second part of a little bonus weekend edition of the daily Ipswich. So Tom, let's let's run through the chances then. the log say There was not many of them. You can count them on one hand to both teams. and But if we can even call it a chance, we'll start with the open in seconds then. That ball from ball from Davis, just a little nick off the Arsenal player just took it slightly past Smodix. But there was a gap there at the near post that Ryre had left behind, weren't there, if he could have got a boot on it.
00:10:00
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yeah, very much so. I thought it would always be quite poetic, the fact that we scored almost instantaneously considering how quick ESAC scored or give it a VAR delay at Portland Road the week before. So it's like, oh, maybe this is our turn now to nick a goal really quickly and stuff. But yeah, it wasn't meant to be. I think if
Player Performances: Smodix and Dilap
00:10:16
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Schmonix was maybe the height and stature of Dilap, he might be able to get his foot in that. But I think it's one of the few shortcomings, if you pardon the pun, of Schmonix's game is that he wasn't able to get a foot in it.
00:10:27
Tom Crack - Ipswich
And yeah, nice little great attack. I think, you know, when you're on the kickoff against the top side of Arsenal and you but starting with possession, you've got to make the most of it. And we almost did, to be honest. But yeah, as we've said in the first 10 minutes or so in this in this in the show today, wasn't really much to go on going forward after that. But I've always thought Schmonox has played better away from home and he always proved me correct in the first 20 seconds there.
00:10:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, so that's the sort of, I don't want to call it a big chance because I don't think it is, but a game like this that was always, like it was always going to be, that is the sort of chance you have to go and take in these games if you want to get something from them.
00:10:59
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yeah. yeah
00:11:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
And reason I look at some of the recent games when I say about the last one on low blocks, obviously, Everton didn't really make a chance, but neither did Fulham and they got one all draw because they just won the smash and grab counter attack and they scored.
00:11:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
and It wasn't a smash and grab counter attack, but that was the sort of chance we needed to go and get to the... Raya had started coming, there was a gap there, and whether he'd have found the feet of Smolix, had it not taken that little nick off Timber, I think it was, that got his little guy stied to it, but again, so there was definitely, there was a gap there, and I feel like there's a sort of, like you said, maybe if it was a dilap for slightly, ever so slightly longer legs, maybe we could have nabbed the touch, and you wouldn't, what all you had to do was hit the target, really, because Raya was there, and
00:11:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
If he nipped him just before him, it could have trickled us way in or gone in off the post or something that sort of bit of luck. You might say that deflection had gone a couple of inches closer towards Smodix. We might have nicked the goal early doors and there's a completely different game. You can you play the same way, but you have someone else to hold hold on to. And then obviously, even if I was to go and get an equalizer, then you've still got something to hold on to. Then it would change the course of the game that wasn't to be.
00:12:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Let's say we're we're not very good at scoring goals generally, so we're not going to go and take half chances away from only the big teams. always ah We'll see. So it was a quiet game. There was one goal. We said it was one bit of quality. And was that what it was for you? Was it just a great ball from Trottard? Or could we have defended it better?
00:12:37
Tom Crack - Ipswich
I think it's a mixture of both, to be fair, you know, tros Trossard's yeah ball across the face was was very good. But it went through almost our entire list of free sentiments. I think it was Greaves and I think Wolfenden sort of stuck a leg up, maybe no Shea, I apologise if I got one of the guys wrong there. but I think both of them sort of stuck a leg up as the ball was coming towards him to obviously try and nick it away, but both went through. So there was definitely, a whilst it was a good ball, to find how that's for what was eventually an easy tap-in, to be honest, on his end. Good control to just caress it into the goal there from him. But there was obviously chances for that ball to be kind of nullified quite easily. So whilst it was a good ball, I think, you know, almost we kind of dug our own grave and not getting it out. And as you said at the top of the show, I think we defended really well, but this is just the one moment where
00:13:22
Tom Crack - Ipswich
You can't see laps in concentration, because they knew what they were trying to do there. But they just mistimed it, I should say, and ended with Arsenal getting the lead, unfortunately. But yeah, great ball from Trussard, but we maybe could have done something a bit more, I think, in terms of just boosting it away, shall I say.
00:13:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I don't know, really. I think, like I said, it's not poor defending, definitely. But I think it's just the height. It was an awkward height for Wolfenden it was, I think, who stuck the leg out there. You sort of watch it in slow motion. You think, why has he gone for it like that? But then you write when you sit in real time, the pace Trossard hits it with. And it's at like knee height almost. So he can't really like, he hasn't got time to go down, try and get ahead on it. And he also hasn't really got time to lift his foot up when it comes to flying at him from there that I think He's sort of done, he made the only attempt he could, and then like I say, it was a purely just experience.
00:14:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
I mean, can't have that, so he might not be the greatest finisher in the world, but he scored a winner in the Champions League final a few years ago, so he's vastly more experienced at this level than Greaves is, and he just used that extra bit of intelligence and experience to know where to be, and he got that half a yard on Greaves, and he steered it into, he was a fairly simple finish,
00:14:23
Tom Crack - Ipswich
yep
00:14:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
He steered it into the back of the net. Well, when I say it's just, it was the one sort of little sprinkle of quality in a very dull game from both teams, really.
00:14:40
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yep.
00:14:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
And I'll give us some of the credits on that one.
00:14:44
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Hmm.
00:14:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
So I think it was just, it's just the experience at this level, I think was the difference. Like I could say, how that's, it was an interesting conversation. So how it's worked out in the end with the
Set-Piece Defense Analysis
00:14:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
and crossover episode, that the guys at Arsenal that they were, we all said about all the points we said about low blocks and stuff they struggle normally.
00:15:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
and then It was the two players that each of the Josh's wanted out of the Arsenal team and they said they prefer if they didn't start any week that combined. One hated Trossard, one hated Havert and they were the two that combined for the winner in the end.
00:15:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
So same as how things go. So that was it for the first half, weren't it?
00:15:21
Tom Crack - Ipswich
can never predict it.
00:15:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
Second half, very dull again. Arsenal had two opportunities from set pieces. We know they're a threat there. We do defend them quite well, and that record maintenance stays the same. Still only two conceded from set pieces this season. and Really should have been three, you know. done Gabrielle, everything they do, set pieces, awesome so the the whole routine worked perfectly, but it just shows that it does it can still have human error involved. It can't all be robotic, and everything works out as opposed to, because we got away with that one, didn't we, at the back post.
00:15:56
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yeah, very much so. You know, if we didn't concede a set piece against Arsenal, maybe we should get a mural of our set peak set piece coach outside Portland Road now to say we're defending against them like they've done.
00:16:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm. Hmm.
00:16:05
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Strange move that, but anyway. yeah Yeah, I think you know like like and it's it's like the thing you know about Arsenal, which is strange considering they're one of the best teams in the league, but their biggest f threat is from set piece, which you wouldn't necessarily associate with a side who can beat you in, supposedly, any way. But going lucky with Gabrielle's chance there, I think just with with a moment like that, you've just kind of got to hope and pray. It's weird when you play a silent bat. It shows the quality that we have when you know what we're going to do, almost exactly how we're even going to line up and where each player is going to run and almost go for it.
00:16:34
Tom Crack - Ipswich
but you still can't stop them because of the power and the speed and the height in which they come at you. It's an amazing way in which they play with set pieces. We just got lucky in that one, to be honest. And I think going into tonight, if you were to expect... I think whenever you play Arsenal at the moment, going into any game against them, if you are to assume how you're going to concede against them, it would be from a set piece. So not conceding against them in that regard, in that manner, I should say, sorry, was one of the few positives to take out tonight. But yeah, Gabrielle very much should have scored. He's scored much harder goals this season than that one, definitely.
00:17:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, so that was that was the sort of the arsenal special, that one, weren't it? Just sort of get everyone else in the way to let Gabrielle come in unmarked for, in theory, a fairly simple header.
00:17:10
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Me.
00:17:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
But on this occasion, he got it wrong. But they mixed it up a bit for the other chance. They caught us out. They set everyone up where they normally would. And the difference was, obviously, rather than having Declan Rice go out to take it, he was lurking on the edge of the box instead.
00:17:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then Erdogan picked him out fantastically and could say from your original fairness, because that would look like it was heading into the bottom corner, and that stripe from Rice.
00:17:35
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yeah. Murich, I think, you know, it's been rare to be quite nice for both keepers, because despite the fact we were at a, uh, a top size, but a good say from him there, it was, it's, it's, it's, it's funny with goodness, like a biggest chance, but it wasn't necessarily the biggest, was it? But good say from your extent to keep it, keep it one. No, I don't have much time. I'm afraid I'm clutching at stress for what was quite a dull evening.
00:17:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, so again, just they caught us out with the set piece and then we know what they're good at. And as we said, Gabrielle should have scored.
00:18:03
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yeah.
00:18:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think Rice actually hit it quite well. It was just, Murish was alert to it, which to be fair, so it came for a crowd of bodies that will be quick to give him, it will be kicked quick to quick quick to criticize.
00:18:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's what I'm trying to say. If he, when he makes errors, so should give him a bit give him a bit of praise.
00:18:20
Tom Crack - Ipswich
to criticize, I'll say. Yeah.
00:18:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
That was a decent save and obviously, The longer it saved 1-0, there was always that chance we could have gone and nicked something. And then we didn't in the end. But so the only sort of, I'd say we almost peaked in the first 20 seconds.
00:18:31
Tom Crack - Ipswich
yeah
00:18:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then you just thought at the end, we had everyone in the box
Impact of Defense on Offense
00:18:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
for about a solid minute as we were going side to side trying to work that crossing chance. In the end, we sacked off going for a cross, broadhead picked it up, drove in, had a dig from the edge of the box, and only for it to hit out Al Hamadi.
00:18:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
I didn't even make Arsenal work for it in the end. but Seemed a decent enough strike. This is the level we're at with this game that we're talking about. If that didn't hit Al Hamadi, could it of course could they have gone in the bottom corner and nabbed us a point that this sort of shows really, didn't it?
00:19:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
That summed our night up and into an attacking sense that we waited 90 minutes from almost having a chance to get another one and just hit our own player inside the box.
00:19:17
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Do you not strike habits when I strike his arm?
00:19:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
Thumbs up.
00:19:21
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Or is that my thing of a different chance?
00:19:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
A different chance, I think.
00:19:23
Tom Crack - Ipswich
It didn't strike his arm, obviously. Didn't go to the AR, but it was a different chance.
00:19:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
No, it did hit his arm. It just blew to his side.
00:19:27
Tom Crack - Ipswich
I think with both, yeah.
00:19:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
You're never going to get it.
00:19:31
Tom Crack - Ipswich
No, true. I think that was really ive mean going forward in the latter stages. He came on the 80th minute and Richard especially has been championing for Broadway before the season and as well during it. He's made a few cameos in recent weeks but The only bright spark for the bench, it was a great moment in the, I think just before that chance near the end with Havoc's arm, where he almost took out three players just from his movement and his dribbling. And it looks quite confident. I think, you know, we've been asking for a player on the right to have that creativity with Ben aiming on for a long time and Burns not cutting it.
00:20:03
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Myra was there tonight. It looks a bit clearer. So then we had a slight formation change that was a bit different to what we used to. But when he came on, he looked it it's quite confident and pretty decent. I think, you know, we're struggling to find goals right now. and I know he didn't score, but he looks fairly confident going forward there. Why not give him a chance against Chelsea on Monday night? Because, you know, we've got to find goals from somewhere that isn't just from a man called Liam Dilapp and Broido could be that guy. So a nice little cameo from him and what was quite a bleak evening at the Emirates, shall we say, but yeah, a few chances have made that was one of my guests.
00:20:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, we mentioned the style formation tweak there. So we have a quick break now to have another message from one of our sponsors, and then we'll dive into that formation tweak when we come back.
00:21:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
And we are back for the final part of today's episode. So it was a more defensive set up, wasn't it, Tom? That was the sort of slight change we were on about. It was the same approach we went for in the other away trip to North London, where obviously the victory against Spurs and near enough the same. So obviously a force change in the middle of Morsy suspension saw Phillips come in and difference of that lineup. And then it was Wolfendun instead of Burgess, I think was the only other difference in that Spurs lineup.
00:21:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
obviously done wonders there having Johnson and the right mid-roll sort of going back and forth playing as a five and we didn't have the ball which was for the vast majority of this game and then the opportunity to then try and go forward when we did and it's fairly if it was effective in the defensive part wasn't it do you think it was the right decision overall or was it did it kill us any chance we had on the break
00:22:01
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yeah, it's a double edged saw this kind of formation because as you said, it works really well against Spurs. And I don't know, it's just because we're playing a slightly weaker team that I was able to balance out quite well going forward. I do like it defensively, you know, and as you said, like to only concede one against one of the top teams in a game where we're really under the cost for the majority of it. I think it does show that this formation works, but It's hard to balance it out you know we we ah in a game where we could potentially get something better than this in terms of a point or three points. If you have information like this, you really are going to be inviting pressure regardless of who you're playing.
00:22:34
Tom Crack - Ipswich
and kind of leaving Dilap up there on his own and relying on him to hold up and hopefully get a counter going. So it's really difficult. I do like having free there. Again, not tonight so much, but it could give Davis more freedom going forward, having that sort of security at the back. I'm in two different minds. I do like it. You want that defensive security, which information does give you, but going forward, it's just you're relying on counter-attacking football. And we've said so many times that we can't rely on scoring just some counters, which, you know, if you look at the two goals, especially the second goal spurs with this formation, it was a counter-attacking goal. And really especially if you looked at tonight, that's the only way we were going to score a goal as well. So I think you can't really have it in that way. It's a shame we can't have both, but yeah, I'm not sure going forward, this is what we'd have. It just seems like, you know, you bring out for one of those games where you're,
00:23:23
Tom Crack - Ipswich
seemingly like you're not expecting to really get anything
Chelsea Game Preview
00:23:26
Tom Crack - Ipswich
from it. And this is the best way to potentially get something from it. but yeah, well, what do you think about it?
00:23:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Well, a bit of a few really. You can take the good with the bad and I don't mind it in games like this where you're almost in a way you are setting up to effectively play for nil, nil, or if if you don't get a nil, nil, keep the goal difference down.
00:23:37
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yeah.
00:23:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
But I wouldn't do it in any other games besides that.
00:23:48
Tom Crack - Ipswich
ye
00:23:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think it worked really well against Spurs. if you if you As a team who's particularly exposed to counter-attacks and likes to get forward, it will do the job. but also or in games like this, I wouldn't make it the new standard because we just couldn't keep hold of the ball, could we? That was the issue that he set up like this and it goes for counter-attacks, but Smolik's didn't get into the game after, pardon me, opening 20 seconds. Johnson was obviously playing very defensive, so you're already sort of a man down in that counter-attack. I thought, I mean, we've obviously, we spoke a lot about Hutchinson in the 10 compared to out on the wing and Chapman playing, and we're still trying to work out, ah just as it seems
00:24:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
We keep shooting ourselves in the foot there, because he was off the pace for most of the season. We finally started to find his route at number 10, and then we put him on the right. So he disappeared for a couple of games again. Then he started coming together on the right, and it was all starting to work.
00:24:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
And now we've put him back in the middle again. And I thought he was really poor in all honesty, Hutchinson, because in this game, because we say about bringing it and keeping the ball, trying to build from there, he just sort of, he didn't hold on to the ball anywhere near.
00:24:49
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yeah.
00:24:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
is what He was always sort of, trying to pick it up and take on four players to get us out but you can that's not he can't do that you've got to if you do you've got to like skip forward buy some fouls but he was sort of going forward then just hitting the deck and so i think two different occasions in one game he's gone down and revs give a free kick because he's touched with his hands waiting for a fight he just didn't carry the ball well enough to be doing that job that So you need to, we were sort of, rather than going up to the lap and letting him try and hold it, we were trying to play out through Hutchinson. He just wasn't doing it, but he was just getting up to, he was giving the ball away. I thought that did it wasn't the right sort of game for him at all. I thought he was quite poor. So, and so, so we just struggled to get out because of that. Partly it was a defensive formation, but the three, you look at the four players who sort of bring us out there, the ball never got as far as the lap most of the time. And even if he does and he held it up all right, but again, in fairness to him,
00:25:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's the best centre back pairing in the league, doubling up on him because he's the only one up there.
00:25:57
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yeah.
00:25:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
But then you look at the three behind, so you had Schmodix who didn't get in the game, Johnson who didn't venture out of full back, and Hutchinson who probably gave the ball away more than any other player on the pitch when he tried to do it. It's not all on the formation, but I wouldn't like to see it against Chelsea on Monday.
00:26:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
I don't know if it would be effective again in that sense. It's not a home formation if you get what I'm saying.
00:26:23
Tom Crack - Ipswich
no No, I agree. I think also just looking at that formation as well, like potentially the way in which we played through Mari instead of Dilap for this game and in in particular, it's it's maybe like you said, because of that sense about pairing with Gabriel and Saliba, just maybe slightly alleviate that and have the play start from somewhere else where they're not going to be having as much attention with the ball as much as if Dilap was being our sort of attacking sort of starter shall we say creatively and like going forward as well with those two guys surrounding him it's almost impossible to even begin anything so maybe the intention was let's kind of have our build-up play through Hutchinson in this time and
00:27:00
Tom Crack - Ipswich
invite him to do a few dribbles here and there to build something up. But yeah, he really, he really struggled tonight. Really, really difficult. I mean, a lot, a lot of the guys, but him especially, I think, you know, he's under the looking glass even more when the few chances we get, we kind of expect something to happen.
00:27:14
Tom Crack - Ipswich
And when nothing does, it's just like, oof, a bit of a, bit of a, bit of a downer.
00:27:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. So it was a tough role to play. Well, I don't know what it was. I don't know whether it was because he was getting booed near enough every time he touched the ball. I thought he was just really, he was the one that we sort of needed to be the spring ball.
00:27:25
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yeah. What's, wasn't he? Yeah.
00:27:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
If we were going to go and try and make chances. And he was just like I say, he was either giving the ball away, just ended up giving it back for someone to aimlessly smash clear. Cause he got, he tried to do and didn't work or say it was just hitting the deck on the, I mean, it's what, it's what you have to do, but you have to actually be found.
00:27:40
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yeah.
00:27:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
No, if he'd actually been those couple of times, we'd actually been caught, then they've been ideal that we've got ourselves out free kick, smash the ball forward, but he wasn't. He was just getting a finger on the arm and going to the floor, hoping you get a cheap one.
00:27:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
And it's just not what you suppose. You've got to, um, got to buy of them sort of thousand away, but you've got to actually buy them. You can't just get in a position to win one, then go down and hope you get a given out.
00:28:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
I just thought that they all things considered that was, that was a big reason today.
00:28:10
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yeah, no, exactly.
00:28:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think where the attacking was quite It was like, well, there was just no attacking for threat really. Cause he was meant to be in the role of getting us out and he wasn't doing it for whatever reason that might've been. But so we'll take it on. So as we said, Chelsea on Monday, where are you sort of looking at that? So we said about the formation. I said, i I don't want to see it on Monday. What are your thoughts? Are you back to 4, 2, 3, 1 on Monday or are you sticking with this? Because Chelsea, as we say,
00:28:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
We've just played a team who've just gone second, now we're playing a team I've just overtaken.
00:28:48
Tom Crack - Ipswich
I think, yeah, you go back to the 4-2-3-1. It's very much a on the road kind of, let's just try and nab something kind of formation. I know nothing's come at home yet this season in terms of three points, but you still have to play there as if you're like, we this is our house we're and were and we're going to play on the front foot as much as we can, regardless of quality of opinion. So I'd like to think that that will be the case on Monday.
00:29:10
Tom Crack - Ipswich
night for sure. I mean, you know, but it's obviously been a great season for Chelsea all things considered. I think, you know, Rob, you had him coming in hateful nine for 10. If I can't remember what was the start of year, backed up by some some facts in that considering how poor it's been for the past few years. But they seem to finally be turning it around in terms of the managing the squad depth. New boss coming seems to know what he's doing in that regard as well. But they've had a couple of poor results recently over the festive period. that Dramatic loss at home against Fulham. Goalless draw, Everton, you know, it's always been a tough ground for them to be honest. so
00:29:42
Tom Crack - Ipswich
You know, there's never a good time to play one of the best teams, I guess, but this would be better than the other. Obviously, Cole Palmer to come on to Port Road on a cold day. That's going to be a ah ah great one for all the fans regardless, isn't it? But it it should be an interest. Oh, Cold Knight, sorry, I should say. Should be an interesting game. I'm not sure really what we can get from it, but I'd like our chance against him at home more than Stamford Bridge, that's for sure.
00:30:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I said it on the, what was it?
00:30:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
One of the podcasts I've done on my own recently that we're but we're back at that point now, we have to shock people.
00:30:14
Tom Crack - Ipswich
I got all this fig tag.
00:30:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
but said i got me We it ahead of the Spurs game, didn't we?
00:30:15
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yeah.
00:30:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
That william um that we said we we had that run of games we should have got points from. We haven't. Now we go shock somebody and we beat Spurs not long after us.
00:30:25
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yeah.
00:30:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
And now we had that run of, you know, palace board with walls. We managed to win one of them. it wasn't enough points of what we needed from that run of games. But now we're at the point of, you see the games that we had coming out, we had Newcastle, we had Arsenal, we've got Chelsea, and if we're in that run, we've we've got to go and shock somebody again because the teams around us are picking points up.
00:30:36
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Hmm.
00:30:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
Obviously, Wolves have sacked the man that we said at the time that obviously we have to go there and win on the day, but we might have shot ourselves in the foot by getting O'Neill sacked, and Pereira has come in and six from six so far.
00:30:57
Tom Crack - Ipswich
ah
00:31:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
Suddenly that three point advantage we gained in that game is now a three point deficit. So we need to start picking some points up and we've got to go and shock people.
00:31:05
Tom Crack - Ipswich
yeah
00:31:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
that So hopefully, I'd like to see us have a go against Chelsea is the point. There's a point I'm trying to make on a roundabout way of getting to that. I don't mind setting up and playing with the clean sheet or trying to do this, this sort of game, even though it hasn't worked.
00:31:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
I don't mind that away from home against these sort of teams. I don't want to, when we're at home, like you said, you've got to play like a home team. You've got to try and intimidate the opposition, make them put something together to come and beat you. Get the fans going with the whole 90 minutes and these big games. That's what we need. And so I'd like to see us go a bit more front footed against Chelsea, I'd say, than this because mainly we've had quite a lot of double games recently. can't I can't, I don't want another one. Not two, not two in one weekend that feels like since I said we had, was it the forest forest game? I did the reaction on my own, I think.
00:31:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
And I said, I called it a rare for us to be involved in such a dull game. And then we've had, I think, four out of five since then. I've come in and saying, well, that was rubbish. And the only one the I haven't was one of the ones that wasn't rubbish.
00:32:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
We got beat 4-0 at home, which is rubbish for a different reason. but At least there was it the game was slightly entertained.
00:32:13
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yeah.
00:32:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
And these boring games are starting to creep in now. So hopefully, we don't have another one on Monday. We will see.
00:32:23
Tom Crack - Ipswich
We shall see.
00:32:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
Just quickly, personnel for Monday. Obviously it's a short turnaround. You've mentioned broad head. Is that your sort of main change you'd want to see?
00:32:33
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yeah, why not? to be honest i mean you know with the When the games are thick and fast, as they are during a Christmas period, You're going to have to sort of change the lineup. You know, we saw that of Orphanham coming in tonight and obviously all be a suspension, but if Phillips meet Q, say being a pairing there.
00:32:48
Tom Crack - Ipswich
and Johnson as well, making, you know, he doesn't start every single game week in, week out. One of the few bright sparks, as I said from the Arsenal game was Broadhead's cameo off the bench and looks pretty confident going forward and stuff like that. So what why not? What have we got to lose? Let's be honest. I think Broadhead could, you know, he's he's proved he can perform at Portland Road on many, many occasions. So why not give him another chance? He might be able to unlock something we didn't know even had this season because we need to find something, that's for sure.
00:33:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I agree. I think it's worth it. He's obviously been trying to phase. We've been phasing his return in, haven't we, from his injury because he sort of came back to fitness and he disappeared for another month and a bit.
00:33:20
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yeah.
00:33:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
And we wonder, we wonder what was happening. And now he's come back. He's getting his cameos off a bench. He's building up his football. I think it's ready to, ah ah it wouldn't pay 90, I don't think, but it's give give him 65, 70.
00:33:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think we're at that point now. He's certainly earned it with some of the performances he's putting in these little cameos off the bench. and We're going to see changes on a short turner and obviously Chelsea have an extra day as well. If we need anything, any more of the odds stacked against us now, they've had an extra day to prepare.
00:33:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
I haven't played boxing day instead of Friday night, but you'd say I imagine Morsy, Morsy will come back in almost nailed on there.
00:33:55
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yeah, true.
00:33:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
I reckon Burgess will probably come back in if we go, especially if we go back to four, I'd expect Johnson to drop out for Clarke. Probably a lot to see Broadhead come in for probably Schmolyx and other than that, you'd keep the,
00:34:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
the rest probably near enough the same, wouldn't you?
00:34:12
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yeah.
00:34:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
I don't know. I think, do you think we, what are our chances Monday? Sort of the wrap up. I know we obviously try to do an arsenal reaction, but there's nothing to talk about. So it's becoming Chelsea preview to sort of to wrap it up
00:34:24
Tom Crack - Ipswich
yeah
00:34:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
How do you see it going Monday?
00:34:32
Tom Crack - Ipswich
I think with with've most Chelsea games this season I've kind of seen like they they start very well as do we to be fair and then do kind of falter they hopefully kind of can sit on a one-nil lead and trying to kind of just see the game off there because we saw that against Fulham on Boxing Day I believe and then they just capitulated by the end of it so I think if you can absorb the early pressure because they do start really fast you know Jackson and Neto and Sancho and Palm all four of them are if that's the four that do indeed start for them all four of them are like brutal in the first 20-30 minutes of the game. So if we can suppress that from them as well, because they are very good away from home as well, I think we could have a good chance of winning the game in all honesty. I know it's crazy to say how things have gone recently, but these are one of the few teams I think out of the top side to yes, okay, they've had a much better season so far, but the old version of that team is still there. And you saw it again, you've seen it in recent results that they can still
00:35:22
Tom Crack - Ipswich
While some people may be saying they're going for the title, apart from those at the club themselves, there's still an example of a team who can falter on any given game. And that team is still there. So hopefully that's the version that shows up at Portland Road this weekend. and So i can see I could see a 1-0 if we can suppress that early sort of pressure from Chelsea, because it's going to be there. It always is. But I'm not going to say a certain scoreline, but we we I could see us getting a win if certain things go away. I don't know. What about you?
00:35:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I think it's it we'll see how it goes in all honesty because it depends I think it's highly we said like we said with Newcastle it it depends on if they turn up or not and they turned up and scored straight away that it depends on if Chelsea turn up because they were flying and then I say when they got put in once they got put in the title race debates they've started to falter
00:35:59
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yeah, it's hard to tell, isn't it? Uh-huh, yeah. Can't get any worse.
00:36:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
like they obviously he kept saying it while they were sort of second or third or fourth and then they got up to second and everyone started to it started to become a serious conversation rather than a little jokey conversation on the side like oh we're Chelsea in there with Arsenal and Liverpool and City it was at the time but now it's become a serious thing of well when Arsenal started dropping points and they've got one point from two games ah ah really they should be getting four minimum six if you really realistically if you want to be going for a title I know they keep saying they're not but
00:36:13
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Mm-hmm.
00:36:41
Tom Crack - Ipswich
Yeah, exactly.
00:36:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
it does seem like the pressure's getting to them a little bit. So we'll see maybe what sort of headspace they're in. But can dive we'll dive into that in a lot more detail on Monday's episode, which will be a crossover with the lads from Daily Chelsea. So we'll get their thoughts on that as well. But that's it for today's Arsenal reactions slash mini Chelsea preview. That's what happens when the games are that boring. You have to talk about something else. but That is it. Like I could say, thank you for joining me on today's episode, Tom.
00:37:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
And thank you to everyone for listening.
00:37:12
Tom Crack - Ipswich
No worries mate.
00:37:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Like I say, we will be back Monday with ah the crossover episode with the lads over at daily Chelsea. So we'll catch you for that one. And then it'll be normal service resumed after a little Christmas break from Monday.
00:37:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
And we look forward to that. So we will see you all then.