Ipswich Town have been one of the stories of the Championship season so far, and despite only being promoted from League One last campaign, they have emerged as serious contenders for promotion to the Premier League.
However, Kieran McKenna’s team has lost ground in the fight for the top tier as a result of the Tractor Boys’ recent slump in form, which includes an unexpected FA Cup loss to Maidstone United of the National League South, and Southampton and Leeds United’s relentlessly strong play.
Although the Tractor Boys have spent the majority of the season in the top two, it is now unlikely that they would advance automatically ahead of the Saints and the Whites.
And as the fight for promotion really begins to take shape, maybe it’s time for McKenna to rearrange his pack in an attempt to get his team’s form back on track.
It’s time for McKenna to replace Wes Burns in his Ipswich Town starting 11
Wes Burns has clearly been a success overall since coming to Portman Road in the summer of 2021. He scored eight goals and provided eleven assists to lead his team to the Championship the previous season.
In his first season in Suffolk, he scored twelve goals and set up six more for his teammates in the 2021–22 League One season, which saw the Tractor Boys finish in 11th place.
Burns, a Welsh international, has only managed to score three goals and provide one assist in 23 starts in the second division, but he has failed to leave the same type of impression in the Championship.
The 29-year-old was last left out of McKenna’s starting eleven in the Championship on December 12 when the Tractor Boys overcame Watford 2-1 at Vicarage Road. He was also a member of the matchday squad.
Since then, though, he has only contributed one goal, scoring the equaliser a few days later in a 2-2 draw between McKenna’s team and Norwich City, their fierce rivals in East Anglia.
It might be time for McKenna to reevaluate his options in broad areas, given Burns has had difficulty making an impression since then.
McKenna has options at his disposal on the wing
January loan signee Jeremy Sarmiento, who proved his worth by scoring the equaliser as McKenna’s team drew 1-1 at the King Power Stadium with league leaders Leicester City, might take Burns’ spot in the Tractor Boys starting lineup.
If the Ecuadorian international is selected in the starting lineup, McKenna may offer him the chance to showcase his skills. The international scored this crucial goal in just 29 minutes of play.
Another choice is Omari Hutchinson, who has contributed more goals than Burns this season with three goals and two assists despite only being included in the Tractor Boys starting 11 seven times in the Championship.
It’s time for McKenna to rotate his starting lineup in an attempt to rekindle the fight for automatic promotion, as the Tractor Boys have lost ground in the race for the top two.
And that was the natural decision to make given his lack of It’s time for McKenna to rotate his starting lineup in an attempt to rekindle the fight for automatic promotion, as the Tractor Boys have lost ground in the race for the top two.
And given his deficiency in goal productivity, it makes sense to bench Burns in favour of Sarmiento or Hutchinson.
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