EPL form: Better is the end than the beginning! Kieran McKenna rally over another draw with a tough ride’ as he aims deep at Europa league spot finish” we’ll improve over the course of time….
Kieran McKenna, the manager of Ipswich Town, commended his team’s tenacity after their 0-0 draw away at Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Blues faced one of the in-form sides in the division and spent most of the game out of possession, but they defended incredibly well to earn their first clean sheet of the campaign.
McKenna admitted that his side weren’t able to show their best against the Seagulls, but highlighted that their mentality was enough to help them grind out an impressive result in Sussex.
I think, first of all, it’s the commitment and the spirit that the players showed in a pretty new group,” he said after the game.
“A group that’s still coming together with players making their debuts, lots of players who haven’t played at the level very often, players playing with new team-mates, players trying to learn new roles within the team. To have all that going on and to come away against a strong team while showing the spirit and resilience that we did, to show some really good moments of organisation.
To get a point in those situations, you need to make some big blocks and big saves. When we needed to do that, we did that. We showed a lot of things that’ll be important for us to have a successful season today.
“I think we can play better. I’m sure that we’ll improve over the course of time as this group comes together, adapts to each other and the level, but while we’re doing that, showing the spirit and the fight that we showed today to get a clean sheet against a very good side is a step forward.”
Goalkeeper Arijanet Muric was arguably the hero of the match, making six saves to shut out Brighton while showing a strong level of dominance in his box.
It comes after a turbulent few weeks. The 25-year-old made two mistakes against Manchester City before being controversially expelled by the Kosovo national team, but his performance against Fabian Hurzeler’s side certainly caught the eye and he was met with full support from the away end at the Amex Stadium.
I think he showed exactly why we wanted to bring him to the football club,” McKenna argued. “With where we are as a team coming into this division, finding a goalkeeper who can win you points on certain days is absolutely massive because every point is massive in the league.
“Aro has shown across his career that he can be a match-winning goalkeeper and he can earn points for the team. He’s a fantastic shot-stopper and he commands his box like not many goalkeepers in the division.
He’s settling in well and having a terrific day with the crew. Although he’s still extremely young for a goalie and needs more time to learn and adjust to our expectations, I believe that today is a huge start in the right direction. He demonstrated to everyone his potential and the reasons we brought him to the football team.
