Ipswich Town v Norwich City: New faces make derby hard to predict

It is only 18 months since the last league meeting between Ipswich Town and Norwich City, when a goal by Marcelino Nunez gave the Canaries a 1-0 win.

They will meet again in the 110th East Anglia derby on Sunday, and just seven of the 29 players that made it on to the pitch that day at Carrow Road in April 2024 are part of their current squads.

Since then, Ipswich have been on a one-season Premier League adventure which ended like a spent firework with just one win – and 14 defeats – in their final 18 matches.

And after reaching the play-offs at the end of that 2023-24 season, Norwich have bumped along, mostly in mid-table, trying to find the secret of escaping from the Championship and returning to the top flight in which they last played in 2022.

This weekend's game at Portman Road, therefore, is something of a pressure point for both clubs, and especially the two men in charge of the teams – Kieran McKenna and Liam Manning.

McKenna is trying to rediscover the positive vibe which brought back-to-back promotions in 2023 and 2024, and brought in 11 new players over the summer to try to do so - including the aforementioned Nunez for a reported £10m.

The Canaries transformed their squad with 12 signings, but new boss Manning – born in Norwich, but who spent time at both clubs as a young player – is still looking for a formula to bring the best out of them.

Such a major turnover of players may be one of the reasons, though, that neither side is currently among the pacesetters in the division.

Ipswich only managed three points from their first four games of the season, but have picked up since then with seven from the last three - not including the late abandonment at Blackburn Rovers because of heavy rain when they were 1-0 down.

Former Town captain Mick Mills has played in and watched more derby games than most people have consumed hot recipes from a Delia Smith cookbook.

And he knows that all the players involved who have never experienced a derby before are in for something special. He believes that for Town, a first victory over their rivals for 16 years could act as a springboard for the rest of the campaign.

"As you drive to the stadium. there's something extra special about what's going on in the streets, then when you get inside, everybody is noisier, more excited, it really is different," he told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"People are saying we've got so many new players in our team, they won't really know what it's about, but they will. It'll hit them when they arrive at the stadium on the day. They'll know something different is about to happen."

He added: "I think man for man we probably are better than them. It's at home as well, that makes a difference, it's far easier at Portman Road than it is at Carrow Road, so at the moment we've got everything going in our favour.

"It'll take a poor performance for us not to beat them. If we can beat Norwich, there'll be no stopping us."

It may be a good thing for Norwich to have the first derby of the season at Ipswich as their only two wins so far this season have come away from home.

They have lost all five games at Carrow Road in league and cup, so playing at Portman Road is something of a "free hit", but one which will take the pressure on Manning to a new level should the result not go his side's way.

"When he signed as the club's new head coach I bet that not for a split second did he think he'd lose his first five home games and he's got to turn it round, it's as simple as that," former Norwich striker Iwan Roberts told BBC Radio Norfolk, following Wednesday's 1-0 home defeat by West Brom.

Manning has used all the right words ahead of the game, talking about the "passion" and "emotion" his players will require, but also a need to temper that with "control", "focus" and "composure".

He said: "Of course you have to be aggressive in duels, the stuff that's non-negotiable, that people expect, but at the same time, you don't want to be reckless and cost the team.

"There's always that fine line and that's what happens in derbies. That bandwidth of control probably gets a little bit smaller because obviously, people are so fired up."

So, having had a foot in both camps in the past, what does the game mean to him?

"I'm fortunate to do what I do, I'm very privileged. I made a lot of sacrifices and worked extremely hard to get here - and I continue to work hard and make a lot of sacrifices," he told BBC Radio Norfolk.

"I can't wait, I'm really looking forward to it. Of course we're desperate to go down there and win at the weekend and bounce into the international break with a good feeling."

Roberts, though, believes more tactical flexibility may be needed if Norwich are to start climbing the table.

"He's got to look at himself in the mirror, (and ask) is he doing enough? Is he asking too much of his players? Does he maybe need to change the style of play at times?," the Welshman said.

"First half (against West Brom) they did OK, without really threatening, but it's all too low tempo, no urgency, just passing and keeping possession for the sake of keeping possession. I hate that. It's hard work to watch, it's boring.

"Last 15 minutes, they gave it a good go and created two, three good opportunities. But they've got to start the game like that, there's no point doing it when time's running out and you're desperate to get back into the game, that's the type of tempo and urgency they need from the very first whistle."

Coincidentally, many of the same things could be said of Ipswich's first-half display at Bristol City in midweek.

They dominated possession without the forward tempo to seriously threaten the home defence, apart from an occasional assertive foray by Jack Clarke.

Nunez made his first Ipswich start at Ashton Gate and McKenna was content with what he saw, saying: "Marcelino was a big part of us getting control at the start of the game, linked us together with some good passes like he can do."

Several players have appeared for both clubs, but few others, apart from Norwich midfielder Liam Gibbs, 1970s winger Clive Woods and striker John Deehan, who left Norwich for Ipswich in 1986, have made a direct move between them.

A lot of focus will therefore be on the Chilean, whether he starts the game or gets his chance as a substitute.

Canaries defender Jack Stacey admits the sale of Nunez came as a shock to his former team-mates and supporters alike.

"I can imagine they might not have many nice things to say to him on Sunday, but that's part of football," he said.

"There are certain tendencies we know about and we want to use all the information we have to our advantage, to try and get a result."

Nunez is a player who prefers the patient, measured approach, but who comes out on top on Sunday may be may be decided by which team is braver, and is able to move the ball forwards quicker.

Ipswich legend John Wark scored a hat-trick against Norwich in 1980 and he believes a lot of the teams in the Championship are "very similar" in standard.

Wider comparisons, however, are of secondary importance until Sunday's game is done and dusted.

"It's the most important game in the season and you've got to be at it. If you're at it, you win the game," he added.

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