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Ipswich Town are looking to secure consecutive wins for the first time since the 2023-24 season when they face Blackburn Rovers.
The Tractor Boys impressed last weekend in their 5-0 victory over Sheffield United, which ultimately proved to be Ruben Selles’ last in charge of the Blades.
Kieran McKenna and Ipswich Town will be well aware of their great recent record against Blackburn and will be hopeful of continuing this at Ewood Park.
However, the Northern Irish manager is leaving nothing to chance, as he spoke to a former Ipswich Town star who was key to Valerien Ismael at one of his former clubs.
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Kieran McKenna spoke to Conor Chaplin ahead of Ipswich Town’s clash with Blackburn Rovers
McKenna is using everything in his arsenal to try and ensure that Ipswich Town emerge victorious against Blackburn Rovers this weekend, to build upon their win over Sheffield United.
This has seen him turn to those players that have played under Valérien Ismaël during his time in England, with the French manager previously being in charge of West Brom, Barnsley and Watford before taking the job at Blackburn Rovers.
Speaking to the East Anglian Daily Times, he said: “They have got some real qualities in the team and shown that in a couple of their games. They won at Hull (3-0) and had a big win at Watford (1-0 last weekend).
“There’s no doubt they’re a team with a good manager, good organisation and good individual players, and they’re going to give us a big test this weekend.
“I think we all have our own journeys as a manager.
“I don’t know him well, but I’ve spoken to some of our players who have played under him, including Darnell (Furlong, at West Brom) and Conor Chaplin, who had a really good experience with him at Barnsley.”
What Kieran McKenna expects from Blackburn Rovers
The Ipswich Town manager was open about what to expect from Blackburn Rovers this Saturday, with McKenna believing that every game in the Championship will be tough this campaign, as they are one of the clubs with a target on their back due to being in the Premier League last season.
He is expecting a tough match: “I’ve faced him with (Manchester) United when he was at LASK (in a two-legged Europa League last 16 tie back in 2020). Those early teams he had were typically back five, wing-backs, man-to-man pressure and very, very direct in their play.
“But if you said to me, what were his Watford team or what is this Blackburn? I’d say it’s a lot more zonal defending, more possession-based, and more positional in their attacking play. So there’s certainly been some changes there.
“We’re trying to be as ready as we can. We know there’s a fair chance that different teams will change what they usually do when they come up against us this year. Last week, there were some big differences with what Sheffield United did compared to what they’d been doing in the previous games.
“I think we’ve got a fair idea of what to expect, but he’s shown he’s a versatile manager. We’ve got a versatile group too, though, and we need to be ready for different threats.”