McKenna on Ipswich 2-2 draw at Chelsea

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McKenna on Ipswich 2-2 draw at Chelsea  13/04/2025  Stamford Bridge, London, UK

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00:00if you can just let me know if you want anyone wants to ask any questions I'll

00:12make sure I come to you thank you I'm happy to take a volunteer to get us

00:18underway yeah I think the reaction was was deserved and I thought the players again and the supporters

00:38done themselves proud to be honest it was yeah we knew it was going to be a really difficult game

00:43we know that we're coming into it in a challenging not just league position and stuff like that but

00:47availability and injury and things and playing against a fully motivated and almost full-strength

00:52Chelsea so it was always going to be tough the scorelines probably didn't always go with the

00:57flow of the game so you know first half we certainly weren't at our best with the ball and we probably

01:02looked like there was a bit of nervousness in there to be honest at the start of the game

01:05but we were really really clinical took our moments fantastically well executed in the areas that we

01:13we wanted to execute in the game plan and we defended with a lot of resilience and probably a

01:18little bit of luck to be honest the second half I actually thought we played better in the first

01:22half and we had more chances and it was for lots of the second half a pretty even game both teams

01:27pushing for the goal so yeah we're disappointed to concede right from kickoff that was a big setback

01:33but I think the response to it was very very good and actually from that moment where you know what can

01:37end up a really really difficult second half it was actually I think Intel Sancho's goal a pretty

01:42even second half and we looked as likely to get the third goal as they did the second goal

01:46of course a brilliant moment from from Jadon to score and make it 2-2 and then both teams were going

01:52for the win it took a couple of great saves from Alex Palmer to be fair but we had our moments going

01:57up the other end and was a was a really good game and the players give everything to it again

02:03and I think they can be proud of their efforts yeah I think you know I think Chelsea had the

02:12better chances over the game but I think it's always going to be that but um yeah I think for

02:16the amount of chances that we create the quality of our chances for an away team I think we deserve

02:20something from the game and um yeah we could have won it at the end we could have lost it at the end and

02:26I think for us to compete with Chelsea as we have over the two games is is um you know testament to her group

02:32yeah Liam as I said before the game had a had a rib injury in the um in the last game so he's not

02:45trained all week been you know in quite a lot of pain but as I said before the game he's a tough boy

02:51and uh his commitment to the club is into the group is top and he wanted to be here and he felt like he

02:57could come on and have an impact we didn't want to risk him in terms of you know the injury it would

03:01have been you know a crazy one to to to start with and I don't think many players would have put

03:06themselves on the pitch but that's Liam and it was safe to do so so um yeah it was good he came on and

03:12I thought he was a big handful when he came on um and Jaden it looks like a blow no doubt um he's

03:18opened up the inside of his knee so it'll be scanned it's usually you know the MCL that gets some

03:23damage in that sort of tackle so I think he had one on his left side last season so we'll get it scanned

03:29and see how he is but um you know we'll be hoping that the damage isn't too bad

03:33how much pride satisfaction can you take from taking on a club that has got a squad with a

03:42significantly higher budget than your own unbeaten both games taking four points off them and and

03:48secondly the fact that even at 2-2 your players still kept pushing this point forward and it must

03:54sort of give you confidence going forward even if it is potentially champion I think we can take great

04:01pride in it um yeah look I think you look at the background of our our team our group today and

04:07you know the journey that a lot of those players have been on is is huge so to come here and compete

04:11I'm really proud of them on an individual level but also you know you look at the spirit and the

04:17organization and the commitment that the group showed today and that's a group of players some of

04:23them have been here you know through the promotion some have arrived later this season you got lads here

04:28on loan you got some lads out of contract some lads in contract at the end of the season but you've

04:33seen a group that are there fighting for for themselves fighting for each other and fighting

04:37for the club and you can't ask for too much more than them than that um in terms of competing in the

04:42game yeah I think we should be pleased and look our first half record in Cames this season is

04:46is really really you know for the position from where we've come from is really really good

04:51uh and that's not something that we're going to take great satisfaction in in the summer I'm not

04:55going to enjoy my holidays any better because we're really good in the first half but it's

04:59a real testament to a lot of the way that we work the way that players commit to training the way

05:04that they commit to the game plans the way that we've approached games um but this the step up has

05:10been really really big and there's lots of different reasons why we haven't always been able to turn

05:14you know performances and and positions in the points so that's of course a disappointment but I

05:20think there's a lot of good I know there's a lot of good underlying work going on here at the club

05:25and in the group and if that work continues then the club will be in a great position

05:28yeah it's certainly a big jump the the biggest jump is the physical and individual quality level

05:53of the players that's it um and that is a financial jump because you know that comes from the premier

06:00league strength and the quality of players that can be attracted and and paid for and that quality

06:04now doesn't run just in the very top of the league it runs right down through the um through every team

06:10who can establish himself in the premier league for one season I think the strength of the league this

06:14season is is very very strong in terms of the depth of that strength across the league so

06:18yeah it's been it looks like you know too much of a mountain for us this season in terms of picking

06:24up the points that we would have wanted we've not been too far away from it but it looks like we're

06:28not going to be able to climb that mountain um the three teams you know last year competed in what

06:34was said to be the you know the strongest championship ever leads or leicester and and you know labeled the

06:40strongest team championship history um leads not far off of it biggest budget in championship history but

06:46you know you know the step for all three teams has been has been too big um for us we know that our

06:51journey is is very very different to leicester's and southampton's but you know the three teams who

06:56competed at the very top end of that division last year haven't been able to compete this year

07:00and uh you know the reason why in my opinion is is the strength of um the strength of the league and the

07:06strength of the players that teams can can can bring and can develop

07:10you know he's got an injury um yeah to his i'll describe the anatomy somewhere near his achilles

07:22um so yeah it's been an unfortunate run for him um he had the cut but he sustained in the

07:29nottingham forest game and then uh yeah he's he's picked up an injury and around the achilles area

07:34so uh not available today and we'll see how it goes

07:36yeah that would be um that'd be one to celebrate for them and for the club and uh yeah great result

07:54for him today so you know that's pretty much it done and hopefully i think they can well it will

07:58be confirmed in a home game which i said to him is always the best way to do it so um make sure he

08:03timed it well and i think he's timed it well so now you can you can enjoy the celebrations properly

08:07after a home game thanks for your time everyone thank you

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