Football's best up-and-coming manager: Kieran McKenna, a relentless entertainer

This is the second article in a six-part series profiling the most innovative up-and-coming managers in European football. Part 1 is here about Thiago and his Motta.

Football is about winning and Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna knows that all too well.

Since the start of last season, no manager has picked up more points in English football's top four leagues than the Northern Irishman, as the Suffolk side aim for back-to-back promotions.

But what makes McKenna, 37, such an impressive manager is that Ipswich are winning while playing entertaining football. There are near-miss goals, dramatic counterattacks and furious attacks that define his brand of football.

It's no coincidence that they've been on the knife edge for so many games over the past two seasons, finishing sunny side up so many times like Ipswich.

.@Ipswich Town It's so hot I can't stand it 🔥#EFL | #skybetchampionship pic.twitter.com/ID4zG1sEom

— Sky Bet Championship (@SkyBetChamp) March 17, 2024

They thrive on the chaos and the electric atmosphere at Portman Road, with McKenna, then 35, leaving Ralf Rangnick's backroom team at Manchester United in December 2021 to take up the Ipswich job (his first A revitalization is occurring that could hardly have been predicted when he took over the management team. .

The expected goals graph below shows how dominant the club's play was at the end of Paul Lambert's time as manager, and throughout most of Paul Cook's time at the club. In contrast, McKenna has given his all and has not slowed down Ipswich despite competing in the upper division this season.

Last season in League One, Ipswich won 98 points and scored 101 points in a three-way battle for automatic promotion with Sheffield Wednesday and Plymouth Argyle. Having faced parachuted Leicester City, Leeds United and Southampton sides this season, Ipswich have been in the promotion race for longer than most expected, with 81 points and 80 goals from just eight games remaining. It is recorded.

McKenna is perhaps England's most exciting young manager due to his ability to win games with a style that gets fans on the edge of their seats.

If he fails to lift Ipswich into the Premier League this season, it would not be surprising to see him in the top division next year anyway. He has a special combination that can make a team stronger than the sum of its parts and an attention to detail that has made the difference in Ipswich's promotion push.

There are also small things, such as moving the first team pitch to a pitch closer to the main building of the club's training ground, to simplify day-to-day operations and remove separation between the first team and the rest of the club. His players talk about how effectively he explains tactics and clearly explains their role and that of their teammates.

That understanding between the players is evident in Ipswich's thrilling collection of defensive and attacking goals, typical of McKenna's style of play.

There are very few teams that can advance the ball so quickly from goalkeeper to attack and follow the shadows of their opponents. This type of synchronization and chemistry between players does not occur when players operate as individuals.

(Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Training is intense, with plenty of attention paid to video analysis and personal improvement, even for the older members of McKenna's team. Established players in the EFL, such as captain Sam Morsy and Massimo Luongo (aged 32 and 31 respectively), will play key roles as the anchors of Ipswich's midfield, finding new dimensions to their game. He expressed his satisfaction at being able to take on the challenge. The fact that McKenna is similar in age to the senior members of the team was also important in building personal relationships.

McKenna has a background in youth football, having worked in the academies of Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City and Manchester United, and has the skillset to develop young players while creating cohesive units. It means that. The progress of wing-backs Leaf Davies (signed from Leeds United in July 2022), Nathan Broadhead (signed from Everton in January 2023) and Harry Clarke (signed from Arsenal in January 2023) , is part of the success story that is central to the team's progress.

These are also assets that can be sold in case Ipswich wish to use them as a source of income.

🙌 Watch Town's reactions to all six goals. ⤵️

— Ipswich Town (@IpswichTown) March 17, 2024

Davies' 14 assists last season and 14 assists so far in 2023-24 (10 from open play) reflect the way Ipswich use their wide players to get in crosses, including Conor Chaplin. became an attacking threat in number 10, with Wes Barnes providing another asset on the wing. Ipswich's squad has few players with the same appeal as the recently relegated side, but they will carve up defenses with the same effectiveness.

Only Wrexham's Phil Parkinson has scored more points than McKenna among teams in the top four over the last season and a half, but between Wrexham and some of the teams who played in the National League last season. There is a difference in quality between them, which is being eased. element. Ipswich have played more league games than Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool, but McKenna's goals-per-game average is still in the top three of any manager in the country.

Ipswich have conceded the most goals in the Championship's top five this season, but 4-3 wins over Blackburn Rovers and Rotherham United, as well as a recent 3-2 win over Bristol City, is also contributing. 2-1 January's FA Cup fourth-round defeat to sixth-placed Maidstone United is a rare stain on a thrilling season in which McKenna became a local hero ahead of Suffolk's Ed Sheeran.

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Ed Sheeran has rekindled his love for Ipswich and is backing their promotion to the Premier League

McKenna's appointment is a risk for Ipswich, who will either return to the top flight for the first time since 2002 or earn a handsome fee if he moves to a Premier League side before they get there. right.

Interest from Crystal Palace is unlikely to be the last inquiry for his services following the departure of Roy Hodgson in February. McKenna has shown he has the ability to lead a mid-major team and make it one of the best in the country. He's not bad for a 37 year old.

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US investment, McKenna's magic and a united club – Ipswich Town comes back to life

(Header photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)