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“Kieran McKenna Breaks Silence After Brutal Paul Merson Dig – You Won’t Believe What He Said
McKenna Defends Ipswich Playing Style After Paul Merson Criticism
Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna has hit back at claims that his team’s playing style led to their relegation from the Premier League, following sharp criticism from pundit Paul Merson.
After achieving remarkable back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League, Ipswich returned to the top flight for the first time in 22 years.
However, their stay has been short-lived, as they struggled to adapt to the demands of top-tier football.
A 2-0 victory over Chelsea in December offered hope, but just one win in the 15 matches that followed, combined with a resurgence from Wolves, sealed Ipswich’s fate.
Their relegation was confirmed with a 3-0 defeat at Newcastle, making them the third promoted team this season to drop straight back to the Championship.
Merson Slams Style, McKenna Responds
Merson was critical of McKenna’s approach, accusing him of trying to imitate Pep Guardiola’s tactics with a squad not equipped to play that way.
While he believes Ipswich will bounce back, he argued their openness on the pitch cost them dearly.
In response, McKenna strongly defended his team’s style and rubbished the idea that tactical openness was the primary reason for their downfall.
“Honestly, I’m not too concerned,” McKenna told the East Anglian Daily Times. “A lot of people give opinions on football without watching every game.
It’s easier to label a team and say, ‘That’s why it didn’t work,’ but if solving this was as simple as one issue, we’d have addressed it already.”
He emphasized that while Ipswich have conceded more goals than ideal, the team has been tactically flexible throughout the season.
“We’ve had to adapt significantly this year. We’ve kept elements of our positive play, but we’ve definitely not been as open or dominant as we were in the lower leagues,” McKenna said. “Our challenges have been far more complex than just style of play.”
He went on to explain that his team has won and lost games with both defensive and attacking game plans. “You can lose in many different ways at this level.
If we’re in a position to compete positively, we’ll take that—but we’ve also been very pragmatic when needed.”
McKenna insisted that a full season review would consider multiple factors and that blaming a single aspect like tactical openness would be overly simplistic.
“If people look at where our players have come from, the journey we’ve had, and how we’ve faced teams like Newcastle and Arsenal, I think it’s unfair to pin it all on our style. That’s not the full picture.”
He concluded with confidence in the club’s ability to reflect, improve, and move forward: “We’ll evaluate everything thoroughly. But to point to one reason for our struggles isn’t the right approach.”
