As Kieran McKenna continues to get a tune out of his players in the midst of a relegation struggle, Ipswich Town will
remain with their manager for the foreseeable future, in contrast to Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Gary O’Neil’s time at Molineux would come to an end last time out as Jack Taylor’s last-second header gave the away
team a victory, which resulted in the 44-year-old’s anticipated dismissal.
In addition to Taylor, other players in the middle of the park stood out throughout this thrilling win, including Jens
Cajuste, who was brilliant in the holding midfield positions.
Ipswich’s impressive midfield vs Wolves
Given that this was his greatest performance since signing in the summer, the aforementioned Cajuste would only be
given his seventh start of the season against Wolves in the Premier League.
In addition to completing three tackles and winning eight duels, the Napoli loanee demonstrated the grit McKenna
will require from a player tasked with defending the defense, misplacing only two of his 32 passes on the day.
In addition to the Scandinavian’s impressive performance in a deep role, Conor Chaplin and Omari Hutchinson were
praised for their offensive performances at the end of the game. Hutchinson in particular caused Wolves defenders a
lot of trouble by accumulating four successful dribbles.
Naturally, Jack Clarke’s crucial late-game assist came from the bench, as the left winger’s incredibly accurate corner
kick fortunately reached Taylor’s head.
Even if all of these players will be thrilled with their performances at Molineux, Kalvin Phillips spent the entire time
on the replacements bench because it appears that his loan with the recently promoted team has now reached a
standstill.
The Ipswich star who needs to leave
After receiving a questionable double booking against Leicester City at the beginning of November and then battling
a number of fitness problems outside of that ban, the former Leeds United player hasn’t played a single minute in his
team’s last five Premier League games.
Cajuste and Morsy battled hard in that victory over Wolves, so his absence hasn’t really been missed. This may make
some question if it was worth it to sign the 29-year-old, who according to data analyst Ben Mattinson has been
“struggling mentally and physically” lately.
Back in August, McKenna was thrilled to sign the struggling midfield player on loan in the hopes that he could be the
manager who would help him return to his best at Elland Road. He said he was “very happy” to have the former join
the team.
After all, Phillips would earn the chance to play for the Three Lions while still on the Whites’ roster. He made an
incredible 234 appearances with his boyhood club before Manchester City paid £45 million to recruit him.
Unfortunately, the new Ipswich number four hasn’t impressed many with his performances while on loan yet. His
goal and assist totals from seven Premier League games are a little lackluster.
Those ball recovery and duels won numbers are encouraging, but McKenna will want more from the battler who was
once so tenacious and stylish on the ball under Marcelo Bielsa’s expert tutelage.
With an outrageous weekly salary of £150,000, part of which will come from Ipswich, Phillips will need to return to
his manager’s first team plans as soon as possible and show what he is capable of; else, his time in Suffolk may be
short.
The 29-year-old may now be over his prime playing days, returning to the Etihad in January following yet another
forgettable transfer abroad after claiming in a recent candid conversation that he lost the “fire in his belly” after
joining Man City.
The winter transfer window would be the ideal time for a farewell, as there are also rumors that he might return to
his old team, Leeds, in the new year.
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