Ipswich Town's Pre-Season Victory Signals Premier League Readiness

Ipswich Town wrapped up pre-season with a statement win in Berlin, coming from behind to beat Union 4-2 and send a clear message a week out from their Premier League return.

It didn’t start that way.

Union were sharper, quicker into their work, and Ipswich paid for it. From a short free-kick in the ninth minute, Zeno van den Bosch was left free in the box and drilled in from close range. One lapse, one goal. Early punishment.

Town needed a foothold. They found it through Jack Clarke.

Leif Davis burst down the left and cut the ball back with typical precision. Clarke, timing his run perfectly, opened up his body and passed the ball home in the 16th minute. Clean, composed, exactly what Ipswich needed to settle.

From there, the visitors grew. The press bit harder, the combinations in the final third clicked, and Union began to retreat.

On 40 minutes, the turnaround began in earnest. A flick-on from Sindre Walle Egeli caused chaos in the six-yard box and Emersonn reacted fastest, stabbing in from close range to make it 2-1. Smart movement, ruthless finish.

Then came the captain.

Deep into first-half stoppage time, Dara O’Shea stepped out from right-back, found space on the edge of the area and unleashed a thumping drive into the top-left corner. 45+1, 3-1, and Ipswich suddenly looked every inch a side ready for top-flight combat.

Union, though, weren’t finished. Early in the second half, Josip Juranovic ghosted in and delicately lifted the ball over Kjell Scherpen in the 53rd minute to drag the Bundesliga side back into it. A soft concession from Town’s point of view, and another reminder that this defence is still a work in progress.

The response off the bench was decisive. With the game stretched, Anis Mehmeti found space wide and whipped in a low cross. Kasey McAteer, on as a substitute, arrived right on cue and swept in first time on 78 minutes. That killed it. 4-2, job done, pre-season signed off with authority.

The crowd of 12,421 had seen Ipswich wobble early, then take control, then manage the contest with a maturity that will please Gary O’Neil far more than the scoreline alone.

O’Shea on the right – and at the heart of the plan

The teamsheet told its own story before a ball was kicked.

O’Shea at right-back again. Darnell Furlong and Ben Johnson both on the bench. This wasn’t a one-off experiment anymore – it’s becoming a theme.

O’Neil did the same against Rayo Vallecano. To repeat it here, in the final friendly before the real stuff starts, feels like a clear indication of where his thinking lies. Right now, this looks like his preferred way of getting O’Shea, Issa Diop and Jacob Greaves into the same back line.

It changes the dynamic. From right-back, O’Shea can step into midfield, join attacks, and still slide across to form a three when Town build from deep. It also gave him licence to push high in Berlin – and he took full advantage with that thunderous first-half strike.

He has been open in the past about preferring centre-back, but his personality has never suggested a problem with doing a job for the team. On this evidence, that job might increasingly be on the right.

Furlong still has a route back into the XI, and the club could yet strengthen in that area, with Abdoul Ouattara set to arrive from Strasbourg. For now, though, the shirt looks like O’Shea’s. Don’t be surprised if he lines up there again when Sunderland arrive at Portman Road.

Clarke in the no.10: a different kind of threat

O’Neil didn’t just tweak the back line. He flipped the attacking structure too.

Clarke started as the no.10, operating centrally rather than from the flank. It’s not entirely new – he filled that role at times last season and has featured there in earlier friendlies – but the timing felt significant. Final dress rehearsal, and Clarke is trusted in the middle.

He repaid that faith. His equaliser from Davis’ cutback was all about timing and composure, and he later swung in a superb cross from the right that led to Emersonn’s sharp finish. Influence in both zones, both roles.

Looking ahead, Julio Enciso is expected to be the mainstay in that central slot once his return to Portman Road is finalised. Out wide, Daizen Maeda appears to have locked down the left, with Jaden Philogene back in the mix as well.

That makes Clarke’s versatility invaluable. He can slide inside, drift wide, or switch flanks as the game demands. His pre-season form has been eye-catching, and he’s given O’Neil a genuine selection puzzle for the opening weekend.

Where does he start when the league begins? That’s suddenly a very live question.

Philogene back on the pitch, if not fully in the clear

Philogene’s summer has been noisy off the field and quiet on it.

Rumours have swirled about a move away, but as things stand Ipswich have not received an offer for the winger. A hamstring injury has kept him out for most of pre-season, though he has stayed close to the group at Playford Road and travelled with the squad to the German capital.

In Berlin, he finally got back on the grass.

Introduced at half-time in place of Maeda, Philogene went straight into his usual routine: tricks, sharp touches, a few efforts on goal. The end product wasn’t quite there and he struggled to truly bend the game from the left, but after weeks on the sidelines, minutes mattered more than magic.

What happens next is less clear. His future remains unresolved, but with the Premier League kick-off a week away, seeing him in an Ipswich shirt again has to count as a positive step for O’Neil.

A sharper edge as pre-season closes

Strip away the friendly tag and this felt like a proper test.

Union had spells, but Ipswich looked increasingly comfortable as the game wore on. They didn’t dominate from first whistle to last – their best period came in that first-half burst when they rattled in three – yet they largely kept their hosts at arm’s length in their own stadium.

That’s not insignificant against Bundesliga opposition, even in August tune-up mode.

Individually, there were plenty of bright notes. Clarke and Walle Egeli stood out with their energy and quality in the final third. Sasa Lukic, on debut, offered control and bite in midfield, knitting play together and showing why the club moved for him.

There were blemishes. Both goals conceded will irritate O’Neil: the first from a quickly taken free-kick that caught Town napping, the second arriving with defenders switched off and Scherpen exposed. The goalkeeper won’t enjoy the replays, but he wasn’t the chief culprit on either occasion.

Those are details for the training ground over the next seven days. The broader picture is more encouraging. The summer started slowly as fitness built and new faces settled, but the last two outings have carried a clear upward curve in intensity and cohesion.

Seven games done. Now for the real thing

Ipswich close pre-season with four wins, one draw and two defeats from the seven matches open to supporters. More important than the numbers, the pattern has been one of steady, visible improvement.

The squad looks lean, fit, and increasingly attuned to O’Neil’s tactical and physical demands. Roles are taking shape. Battles for places are real. The structure is there.

But the Premier League is a different animal.

Union Berlin away in August is one kind of examination. Sunderland at Portman Road, with the season opening and the stakes instantly raised, is another entirely.

Are Town truly ready to step back into the top flight and stay there this time?

We start to find out at 3pm next Saturday.