Professional sports trader Rob Hogger shares his thoughts on Town's loss to Liverpool on the opening day of the season, along with a betting tip from League One.
With the sun shining over Portman Road and the world watching, Ipswich did not disappoint. It's not often you come home from a 2-0 defeat with so much pride and optimism, but that was the case here.
An outstanding first-half
The first half was a very even game of football, and even John Wark said we were the better side at halftime. During the break, I checked the stats and social media, and it had been quite some time since Liverpool had managed only two shots in a half.
Hutchinson, Greaves, Davis, and Delap looked like ready-made Premier League players, with nice patterns of play throughout the team, just like in League One and the Championship.
We broke the lines several times and could have scored with a little more composure. No one could have argued that Ipswich could've gone in 1-0 up at half-time, all while keeping some of the best players in world football at bay. Impressive stuff.
Followed by a reality check in the second
Unfortunately, this trend didn't continue, and it ended up being the proverbial game of two halves. Liverpool switched it up at halftime and quickly got into their stride. The second half was a stark reminder of the huge quality that awaits us in this league.
However, not many teams will pose the threat Liverpool do, and if Ipswich play as they did in the first half, I'm sure they will pick up plenty of points. Liverpool were carving through us at one stage and deservedly won.
On the goalkeeper situation
The loss of Muric was unexpected, and Walton did well enough. McKenna thinks it's only a knock and Muric will soon return. It would be interesting to know if Ipswich were going long on occasion against the Reds because Walton was in goal or whether the plan would have been to hit Delap with some long balls anyway.
I think it's probable that whoever the goalkeeper is, we won't be playing out from the back as often as in the last two seasons.
New signings and future prospects
We now have Kalvin Phillips and Sammy Szmodics on board, with much to prove this season. Phillips' qualities are well-known, and let's hope McKenna can get the best out of him. This could be a great fit for both parties.
Szmodics has been a late bloomer, but his finishing last season was lethal from an attacking midfield role. He's also tenacious and will work hard for the team. For the reported £9 million, despite the lack of resale value, it looks like good business.
Phillips will be ineligible against his parent club on Saturday, but Szmodics could start. By the time Fulham rolls around on August 31st, we'll have signed one or two more players, and Phillips will be starting.
Looking ahead
Next, we have Man City, and let's hope we can give a good account of ourselves as we did on Saturday. If we do that, all Ipswich fans can remain positive.
A betting tip
Starting today, I will be sharing occasional betting tips in my column for Ipswich.co.uk.
Today, we're going to League One for the match between Leyton Orient and Birmingham. Birmingham is the bookies' favourite for the league and has started well. At the time of writing, Birmingham to win is evens at Bet365, which seems too big a price to me. Expect it to come in.
As always, please gamble responsibly.
