Ipswich Town Concludes Pre-Season with 4-2 Victory Over Union Berlin
Ipswich Town closed out their pre-season with a sharp, grown-up 4-2 win over Union Berlin – a result that felt less like a friendly and more like a quiet announcement that they’re ready to step back into the Premier League glare.
They started slowly. They were punished.
Zeno van den Bosch drilled Union in front after just nine minutes, smashing home from close range after a short free-kick routine caught Town cold. It was soft, it was sloppy, and it was exactly the kind of goal Gary O’Neil will not want to see when the real stuff starts.
But Ipswich didn’t fold. They built.
Jack Clarke dragged them level seven minutes later, arriving in the box to sweep in a tidy finish from Leif Davis’ cutback. One incisive move, one clean strike, and suddenly the tempo changed.
From there, the first half became Ipswich’s.
Sindre Walle Egeli, bright and busy between the lines, glanced on a ball in the 40th minute and Emersonn pounced, finishing from close range to flip the game on its head. Five minutes later, the captain stepped up.
Dara O’Shea, pushed out to right-back again, strode onto a loose ball on the edge of the area in first-half stoppage time and unleashed a fierce drive into the top-left corner. A centre-half’s frame, a full-back’s licence, a forward’s finish. 3-1 at the break, and Union were reeling.
The hosts responded after the restart. Josip Juranovic ghosted in and delicately lifted the ball over Kjell Scherpen on 53 minutes to drag Union back into it, another reminder that Town can still switch off at the wrong moments.
But the game never truly slipped from Ipswich’s grasp.
The final word belonged to the bench. On 78 minutes, substitute Kasey McAteer arrived perfectly to meet a sharp cross from fellow replacement Anis Mehmeti, guiding a first-time finish past the keeper to seal a 4-2 win in front of 12,421 in the German capital.
It was controlled without ever being comfortable. And that suited O’Neil just fine.
O’Shea’s new home on the right
The teamsheet told its own story before a ball was kicked.
O’Shea started at right-back again, with Darnell Furlong and Ben Johnson both among the substitutes. This wasn’t a one-off experiment. O’Neil tried it against Rayo Vallecano last week. He went back to it here, in the final friendly before the Premier League returns.
That feels deliberate.
Yes, Furlong could still muscle his way back into the XI. The club could yet dip into the market, with Abdoul Ouattara due from Strasbourg and potentially an option on that flank. But right now, O’Neil is clearly intent on squeezing his skipper into the same back line as Issa Diop and Jacob Greaves.
And it changes O’Shea’s game.
From centre-back, he’s the organiser. From right-back, he becomes a runner. He pushed higher, overlapped, and picked his moments to join attacks. The reward was that thunderous goal from the edge of the box – the kind of strike he rarely gets the chance to hit when he’s locked in centrally.
He has said before he prefers playing at centre-back. Yet his personality has never suggested he’ll grumble about a role that helps the team. On this evidence, O’Neil may well stick with the experiment when Sunderland arrive at Portman Road.
Clarke at 10 – and thriving
If O’Shea at right-back was one big clue, Clarke in the no.10 role was another.
The winger lined up centrally, operating behind the striker rather than hugging the touchline. It’s not entirely new – he filled that role at times last season and has done so in earlier friendlies under O’Neil – but starting there in the final dress rehearsal carries weight.
He looked comfortable. Dangerous, even.
Clarke’s equaliser came from that space, timing his run into the box to meet Davis’ low cutback. Later, drifting wide to the right, he delivered a superb cross that Emersonn converted with a sharp finish. It was the sort of all-round performance that underlines his value as a flexible attacking piece.
Julio Enciso is still expected to be the main man in that central role once his return to Portman Road is finalised. Daizen Maeda appears locked in on the left, with Jaden Philogene now back in the mix. Clarke, then, becomes the connector – someone who can cover both positions without the level dropping.
His pre-season form has been quietly impressive. Where he slots in once the league starts will be one of the more intriguing selection calls O’Neil has to make.
Philogene back in blue – but what next?
Philogene’s summer has been dominated by noise.
Links, rumours, talk of a move away. Yet, as it stands, Ipswich have not received an offer for him. While the speculation swirled, a hamstring injury kept him out of most of pre-season, limiting his involvement to rehab work at Playford Road.
Berlin changed that.
Named on the bench, he replaced Maeda at half-time and finally stepped back onto the pitch in an Ipswich shirt. The rust was obvious, but so was the talent. He produced flicks, feints, and a couple of efforts on goal, even if he never quite managed to bend the game to his will from the left flank.
His future remains an open question. But one week out from the Premier League kick-off, the sight of Philogene back in the squad, involved and engaged, is a tangible boost for O’Neil.
A sharper, stronger finish to pre-season
Strip away the label of “friendly” and this was a proper test. A Bundesliga side on their own patch, a crowd that wanted a response, and a Town team still knitting together new signings and new ideas.
They didn’t dominate the full 90. Their best spell came in that first-half burst when they rattled in three goals and looked ruthless in transition. Outside of that, they managed the game, kept Union at arm’s length for long stretches, and showed a maturity that wasn’t always there earlier in the summer.
The trajectory has been clear. Pre-season started slowly as players found rhythm and fitness, but the last two outings have felt like a genuine step up in intensity and cohesion.
There were stand-outs. Clarke and Walle Egeli both impressed, the latter especially bright with his movement and awareness. New signing Sasa Lukic delivered a strong, composed debut in midfield, knitting play and offering a platform for those ahead of him. Several of the starters made compelling cases to keep their shirts.
Not everything was perfect. The first Union goal came from a quick free-kick that caught Town napping. The second arrived with the back line switching off. Scherpen will not be thrilled with either concession, even if he wasn’t the primary culprit on both occasions.
Those are the details O’Neil and his staff will hammer at on the training ground this week.
Ready for the real thing?
Seven friendlies. Four wins, one draw, two defeats. A summer of gradual, visible improvement rather than fireworks.
The players look fit. The patterns are clearer. O’Neil’s tactical and physical demands are starting to show in the way this team presses, counters and survives difficult spells.
Now comes the step up.
The Premier League is unforgiving. It exposes hesitation, punishes loose touches, and rarely offers second chances. Ipswich have done what they can in controlled environments. They have tested new roles, blooded signings, and rediscovered key men.
Next Saturday, at 3pm, Sunderland walk out at Portman Road.
Only then will we find out just how ready Town really are.
