Hoffenheim 0-1 Ipswich Town: Alex Jones' verdict from pre-season win

The Blues have won two and lost one of their three pre-season games so far (Image: Ross Halls)

A clear improvement.

Ipswich faced some criticism for their performance against Fortuna Düsseldorf, and some of it may be fair. After all, it was far from seamless and they ultimately lost to a second-tier German side in a home game where they created very little. There were good signs, but it was hard to leave the match full of positivity.

The cliché ‘trust the process’ is key here. Kieran McKenna wasn’t worried at all. His opponents were clearly a step or two ahead in their preparations and Town’s squad looked a little thin, missing a handful of key players.

They looked much stronger against Hoffenheim yesterday. Aside from maybe two or three players, the starting lineup in that game will probably be the same as the one that takes on Liverpool in less than two weeks’ time. That’s an exciting thought for some and a daunting thought for others.

They looked much, much better against Hoffenheim, enjoying lengthy spells on the ball without creating too much. After the first goal, they came to life, threatening more consistently in the moments before and after the break.

No, it wasn’t a perfect performance, but it was much improved. They looked sharp and had a better understanding of each other against a strong side. Their opponents put out a strong side, having qualified for next season’s Europa League campaign after finishing seventh in Bundesliga. They’re clearly a strong and talented outfit.

They faced some pressure in the final stages but stood tall to get the win, and although the result doesn’t matter to McKenna, it backs up that they played very well.

Jacob Greaves was Town's biggest threat from corners and free-kicks (Image: Ross Halls)

Set pieces are key!

Creating chances from open play has been tricky for Ipswich in pre-season, which is understandable. Of course, they scored good goals against Shakhtar Donetsk and Fortuna Düsseldorf, but it hasn’t been as free-flowing and open as we saw from them in the Championship last season.

Of course, that comes from playing strong opponents, but is primarily down to the fact that new signings are still settling into the team. Ben Johnson and Jacob Greaves are learning what it takes to play in the Blues’ back line while their team-mates are learning what runs Liam Delap likes to make in the final third. After all, he’s totally different to George Hirst.

These things will take time, and that process won’t end when the Premier League season starts on August 17th. Ipswich will likely be looking to add new signings going right up to transfer deadline day, and getting them used to McKenna’s style of play won’t happen in an instant.

Set pieces will be vital because of that, and they were a constant outlet for Town against Hoffenheim. Many of their set pieces were aimed at the back post, where Jacob Greaves tried to divert them into the net. Their goal, however, came from a low corner played from Leif Davis to Omari Hutchinson, with the former Chelsea man setting up Jack Taylor to score.

If chances are much harder to come by next season, Ipswich will need to be clinical from corners and free-kicks.

Taylor started in a deeper midfield role alongside Sam Morsy (Image: Ross Halls)

Taking chances

It wasn’t a surprise to see Marcus Harness start in Austria yesterday afternoon.

After all, Ipswich are clearly light in wingers and need everyone involved. With Nathan Broadhead out and Wes Burns being eased back in after rolling his ankle, it made sense to play Harness once again. Of course, it’s important to remember his impressive cameo against Fortuna Düsseldorf, where he was by far the most lively player on the pitch in a game where he scored a well-taken goal to equalise early in the second half.

Hoffenheim nullified him well, but he was still able to find space and create chances. The best came in the first half when he picked up a through ball and pushed through into the final third, playing a pass just ahead of Delap. He was often the man driving the ball into attacking areas.

Seeing Jack Taylor from the start was more of a surprise, particularly ahead of Massimo Luongo in a deeper midfield role next to Sam Morsy. McKenna previously claimed that he’d be looking to try the former Peterborough United man further up the pitch, but that didn’t happen today.

He was able to pull the strings from deep, however, and while that limited his threat, he got his goal from a corner and seemed to enjoy playing further back than he usually prefers. Perhaps there’s still a place for him in that central midfield role.

Last week, I wrote that these two may be feeling that they need to prove a point in pre-season. They’ve gone a long way towards doing that.

George Hirst picked up a knee injury last Saturday (Image: Ross Halls)

Hirst concerns

Supporters noticed quite early on that Hirst wasn’t at Ipswich’s training camp in Germany. His girlfriend had posted a photo of him on his Instagram story and rumours quickly spread around social media.

The unfortunate reality is that he’s injured, having suffered a knock to his knee in the defeat to Fortuna Düsseldorf. He didn’t travel as a result and has stayed in Suffolk to recover. McKenna revealed that he’ll have tests early next week to discover the full extent of the injury.

The hope is that there won’t be much to worry about. There were concerns that Burns would be out for a long period with his rolled ankle but he was back in less than a week. There is, of course, a chance that this is similar.

On the other hand, there’s a risk that he’s out for a longer period of time, which would be a huge blow. The 25-year-old returned to action back in late April after suffering a hamstring tear on Boxing Day - losing him again so soon after that would be pretty gutting. He’s the man that understands how Ipswich play, and his team-mates are well aware of the runs he likes to make to cause defenders problems.

The club will now need to decide how to progress. As it stands, Delap is the only fit centre forward. Do they stick with what they’ve got or get another striker in the building? We should find out soon, but hopefully Hirst’s injury is much less significant than feared.

Kieran McKenna is hoping to sign some more players before the start of the Premier League season (Image: Ross Halls)

Edging closer to the big kick off

Ipswich’s second foreign training camp is over. The Blues went out to Austria last month ahead of their game against Shakhtar Donetsk and returned for a few games earlier this week. The second trip has certainly been more eventful.

That, in part, is down to the situation surrounding the scheduled friendly against Borussia Mönchengladbach, where the first team withdrew and were replaced by the under-21’s, who were beaten 3-1. Of course, this didn’t go down well with the German club or either set of fans.

From Town’s perspective, they more than made up for it with the win against Hoffenheim, which was an enjoyable experience from start to finish. They showcased their improvement and gave the travelling fans something to cheer about.

They now face their final hurdle before the start of the campaign, a home friendly against Ligue 1 side OGC Nice. It’ll arguably be their toughest test of pre-season and their last test before hosting Liverpool at Portman Road.