Dara O’Shea believes Ipswich Town’s playing style will eventually deliver the results they are aiming for but admits they need to cut down on the mistakes they are making.
The Republic of Ireland international defender made his remarks following a disappointing 2-0 home loss to Everton, where two first-half errors allowed the Toffees to capitalize, leaving Ipswich unable to recover despite the strong support at a packed-out Portman Road.
The defeat means the Suffolk side remains winless eight games into their Premier League campaign, though their four draws have kept Kieran McKenna’s newly-promoted team just outside the relegation zone for now.
Dara O’Shea, who joined Ipswich Town for a reported £12 million fee from relegated Burnley, believes the match against Everton could have taken a different turn if Jack Clarke had converted an early chance or if the penalty awarded to Clarke before the half-hour mark had not been overturned.
“Obviously, the result isn’t what we wanted,” O’Shea said after Ipswich’s fourth loss of the season and second at home. “If we score early or that penalty stands, it’s a completely different game. Once we went behind, they sat back and made it tough, and that dictated how the game unfolded.”
Despite Town finishing with 55% possession and more shots than Everton (13 to 11), the quality of chances heavily favored the visitors. Everton had eight shots on target compared to Ipswich’s two, with the Blues’ first on target not coming until the final 10 minutes.
“We created a few opportunities,” O’Shea added, “but we would’ve liked to create more against a team like this. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t our day.”
Sean Dyche’s teams are known for their direct style of play, and both of Everton’s goals came from crosses into the box that Ipswich failed to deal with, leaving Dara O’Shea frustrated.
“We expected that from them,” O’Shea admitted. “We did our homework, and we knew they excel at getting balls into the box. That’s one of their biggest strengths as a team. We have to defend better, clear the box, and keep those balls out. We’re getting the first contact, but we need to ensure we clear it and get the ball upfield to prevent them from scoring.”
Despite the defensive lapses, O’Shea noted that Ipswich created a few opportunities from set pieces themselves.
The match was a stark contrast to the high-energy performances the home crowd had witnessed against Liverpool, Fulham, and Aston Villa. When asked about the difference, O’Shea responded, “We always aim to deliver that high-intensity performance, but sometimes it doesn’t happen for various reasons. We need to reflect on this. Did we play how we wanted to? Probably not. There are definitely areas we can improve on. We need to create that energy and push the game to our opponents, especially at home.”
With Ipswich still searching for their first win after eight Premier League matches, O’Shea was asked if the team’s focus remains on their performances, trusting that the results will eventually come.
“As far as performance goes, we’re playing the way we want,” he explained. “But we’re making costly mistakes, especially when conceding goals. It’s not our style of play that’s the problem — we just need to stop giving away poor goals.”
Saturday’s match marked the first time Ipswich fans saw O’Shea play at right-back, a position he took up in place of Ben Johnson, who had previously filled in for Axel Tuanzebe, who is out with a thumb injury. While O’Shea is comfortable in the role, he admitted it’s not where he envisions himself long-term.
“I’ve played right-back twice for Ireland recently, and I started my career at West Brom in that position, so I’m familiar with it,” O’Shea said. “But center-back is my preferred role, and that’s where I see myself in the future. Still, I’m happy to step up wherever needed, especially with the injuries we have. I’ll do my best in any position.”
Next up for Ipswich is a trip to Brentford, and O’Shea knows it will be another challenging game, but one they hope to be prepared for after a week of training.
“We’ll go again on Monday, review this match, put it behind us, and focus on Brentford,” O’Shea said. “It’s going to be tough. They’ve been playing well lately, even though they didn’t win today. I’m looking forward to it.”