Kieran McKenna described Friday's 1-0 defeat to Arsenal as a “step in the right direction” for Ipswich Town, saying they will need to maintain their defensive standards in the coming games.
Kai Havertz's first-half strike condemned Ipswich to a fifth defeat in six Premier League matches, leaving them 19th in the table and three points adrift of safety.
The Tractor Boys were unable to provide an attacking threat after Liam Delap spurned an early chance and failed to register a single touch in the Arsenal box in the opening 45 minutes.
This makes them only the second team to do so in the Premier League this season, after Nottingham Forest against Liverpool in September.
However, they managed to frustrate Arsenal for long periods, with the first half containing a total of four shots – the fewest in the first 45 minutes of a Premier League match since West Ham against Newcastle United in October 2023 (also four).
With games against Chelsea, Fulham, Brighton and Hove Albion, Manchester City and Liverpool coming up at the end of January, McKenna believes Ipswich can take confidence from their defensive efforts in north London.
“It was a good step back in the right direction for us,” he told Amazon Prime Video. “We didn't reach our level against Newcastle.
“We knew today we had to be resilient and we did that. It was important that we finished the game solid and that we feel like we can be compact.
“We gain confidence from that. The way we turned the momentum around to put the game in a good position for us, I think it's something we can take confidence from.
“I think we can do that. Some of our defense was good and we will need that against Chelsea on Monday.”
Ipswich attempted just three shots in the match, the seventh time a team has attempted three or fewer in the Premier League this season.
Three of those instances were against Arsenal, all in December, with Fulham and Everton limited to two shots apiece.
Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, McKenna added: “The players worked really hard and we brought the game to a good level after just over 20 minutes in the second half.
“In the beginning we were pinned down and couldn't get out, but where we were after 89 minutes I was very happy.
“In the first half it was only the goal where I thought we had to defend better.
“We were resilient and compact when we needed to be. Arsenal spent much of the first half in our defensive third position but were unable to penetrate.”
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