Ipswich Town: Leif Davis on defending, set pieces and Kalvin Phillips

The 24-year-old was a swashbuckling left-back in League One and the Championship, often playing higher up the pitch than any of his team-mates. As a result, he was able to register 18 assists in the second tier last season - the most that a full-back has ever managed in a single campaign at the level.

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That style has had to be adapted in the top flight, but Davis is still optimistic that he can show what he's capable of in the final third against some of the strongest teams in the world.

“I’ve still got to do what I do, going forward and doing my defensive work," he said.

“It’s more defence than attacking this year. I’m still going to do what I do, try to get the assists in as well and work hard for the team.

“That’s what I’ve got to do on my left-hand side, I’ve got to work hard. If I don’t get the ball, I’m still running, I’m still running back.

“I just do what I’m told, to be fair, and do everything I can to help the boys.”

Ex-Cardiff City boss Mark Hudson has helped Town with their set pieces this season (Image: PA) Davis' attacking output has been helped by set pieces, with the left-back often on corners and free-kicks.

Former Cardiff City manager Mark Hudson has been brought in to help Town strengthen in that regard, and Davis is confident that the improvement will soon be clear for all to see.

“You see that we’re changing it up on the other side where Kalvin [Phillips] takes it," he explained. "He’s got an unbelievable delivery as well.

“Mark’s top. On defensive corners, he’s brought a lot. We’ve just got to work it game by game.

“We use every Thursday – the set-piece day – for it, and we’ve got to dial in.”

Set pieces will be crucial for Ipswich as they look to score enough goals to survive in the Premier League. Doing so from open play can be difficult, so they need to be clinical when they can get balls into the box.

“It’s where you can get your goals from," Davis argued. "A lot of teams get their goals from set plays that when them the game.

“We’ve just got to do that as well, we’ve got to dial in as much as we can to get set-play goals or clean sheets from set plays.

“All over the pitch, we’ve got to dial in.”

Davis played with Kalvin Phillips at Leeds United (Image: Ross Halls)

Phillips, as mentioned, has already brought a lot to this Ipswich team. His set-piece deliveries have been impressive, and he came close to scoring against Aston Villa at the end of last month.

He's also shown that he can run games from midfield, which is what Davis expected from their time together at Elland Road.

“I’ve played with him when he was at Leeds," Davis said. "He's had a tough few years but he never let it get to him. He always tried to do everything he could to try and play his best.

“Now he’s here, he’s happy and playing with us. Hopefully he can get that first goal soon.”