McKenna on 'creating new narratives', squad growth and Southampton
- Published
Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game at Southampton (kick-off 15:00 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
He does not see the performance of last season's promoted teams as a sign his side may struggle: "With what happened last season with the three teams going down with not big points totals, that was always going to be a narrative, but it is not of any interest. It's not something we can waste any energy on."
In fact, he and his side are relishing the step up to the Premier League: "It's a huge jump, there's no doubt about that, but it is not one we are afraid of. We are enjoying the challenge of taking it on on and seeing if we can go and create a new narrative as we have done over the last couple of years."
He believes there are many ways to make sure Town are holding their own: "For us to be competitive in this league, for us to be successful at the end of the season, we’re going to have to show a lot of different strengths."
He also feels his squad are developing: "The weather being nice always helps, but this is the first time we’ve had the whole group together. We’ve been able to have more time with the players and some more detailed conversations, not just about technical and tactical things, but also about how we’re going to be as a group, laying down principles but also more time on the training pitch. I can see the understanding in all elements is growing."
On Southampton, McKenna said: "Southampton are a team that challenge every opponent they come up against, in terms of the possession they have and how they hold the ball in deep areas and how you answer the questions they pose. We know we’ll have to do that this weekend."
On whether this weekend's fixture was a "six-pointer": "Every game in the Premier League is important to us. Every game is a challenge, an opportunity. This weekend is no different."
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