Ipswich Town's Promising Start in Premier League

Six points from Ipswich Town’s first four Premier League matches. A win at home, a win away. For a newly promoted side, that is not just acceptable – it is exactly the kind of start most Blues supporters would have grabbed with both hands before that opening whistle at Sunderland last month.

Throw in a Carabao Cup victory and the early-season picture looks even brighter. Ipswich had stumbled at the first hurdle in each of the past two campaigns, both times to League Two opposition. This time they stepped over it, and with a bit of authority too.

Arsenal ended the cup run this week, as Premier League champions tend to do. There was no shame in that. Ipswich were outgunned, but not embarrassed, and they again found a late goal to narrow the scoreline. That strike added to a remarkable early trend: five Ipswich goals this season have come in the 90th minute or later. It says plenty about their refusal to let games drift away, about a mentality that doesn’t clock off.

The downside? That defeat at the hands of the Gunners stung a few players who needed the game more than most. For those short on minutes, this was supposed to be an opportunity, a stage to make a case. The door closed quickly.

Now the calendar tightens. Just 14 fixtures remain this year, with only a couple of weeks featuring two matches. Yet Gary O’Neil still has 27 first-team players to manage, all of them wanting a piece of the Premier League.

The Ipswich boss isn’t ducking the challenge. Recently, when asked about keeping such a big group happy, he was blunt.

"I'm more than happy to have those difficult conversations with people," he said. "They're never personal and the players understand hopefully. It only takes an injury, a change of form or something I see in training to go from not playing to being back in the staring XI."

That sounds straightforward on paper. It feels very different for those on the fringes.

On Tuesday night, you could hear the frustration in Darnell Furlong’s voice. Captain for the evening, leader in the promotion campaign, he has barely featured in the league this season – less than 25 minutes so far.

"It's really tough, that's all I can say. I'll keep working hard and try to change things," he told BBC Radio Suffolk. Short sentences. Heavy words.

O’Neil gets it. He knows exactly what Furlong has given this club and does not hide his admiration.

"I've not used Darnell anywhere near as much as I want to, but I love him to bits and he's a massively important part of what we're trying to do this season," the Ipswich boss explained. "How I value the players is not based on how many minutes they play, it's about how much you do to help the group."

That kind of message can easily ring hollow in a big squad. Furlong’s response suggests it doesn’t.

"The squad is a level up from last year to meet the demands of this league," he said. "There have been some great signings, with some great players and some great humans. It's one very well knitted group."

If that sentiment runs through the dressing room, Ipswich have something powerful: competition without division, disappointment without bitterness.

Next comes Everton. A trip that will test both legs and nerve. Win at Goodison Park and Ipswich will have three victories from their opening five top-flight games – something they have managed only seven times before in their history.

For a club just finding its Premier League feet again, that is not a statistic. It is a marker of where this season might be heading.