Ipswich Secures Impressive Pre-Season Victory Against Union Berlin

Ipswich finish pre-season with a flourish – and a few clear clues about what comes next.

Ipswich hit back after slow start

Town started like a side still rubbing sleep from their eyes and were punished almost immediately. A short Union Berlin free-kick caught them cold, the ball worked neatly into the box before Zeno van den Bosch thumped in from close range on nine minutes.

That woke Ipswich up.

Seven minutes later they were level, Jack Clarke drifting into space and guiding a composed finish into the net after Leif Davis cut the ball back from the left. One sharp move, one sharp finish. Suddenly Ipswich were playing at Premier League tempo.

The turnaround gathered pace. On 40 minutes, Sindre Walle Egeli flicked on and Emersonn reacted quickest, stabbing home from close range to flip the scoreline. Union’s back line hesitated; Ipswich did not.

Then came the goal of the game. Deep into first-half stoppage time, skipper Dara O’Shea stepped forward from right-back, took aim from the edge of the area and hammered a rising drive into the top-left corner. A defender’s finish in name only. At 3-1, Town had ripped the contest away from their Bundesliga hosts in a ruthless 36-minute spell.

Union Berlin weren’t done. Early in the second half, Josip Juranovic ghosted in and delicately lifted the ball over Kjell Scherpen to make it 3-2 on 53 minutes, punishment for more slack defending.

But the bench swung it back Ipswich’s way. On 78 minutes, substitute Kasey McAteer met an inviting Anis Mehmeti cross with a crisp first-time finish to seal a 4-2 win in the German capital in front of 12,421 spectators.

O’Shea’s new home on the right

The teamsheet told its own story. O’Shea at right-back again, Darnell Furlong and Ben Johnson watching on. It happened against Rayo Vallecano; it happened again here. Once is an experiment. Twice starts to look like a plan.

Gary O’Neil clearly wants his captain on the pitch with Issa Diop and Jacob Greaves, and this is the puzzle piece that makes it work. A new right-back could still arrive – Abdoul Ouattara is expected from Strasbourg and will fancy his chances – and Furlong won’t quietly accept a supporting role.

Right now, though, the armband is nailed to that back line.

O’Shea has been open in the past about preferring to play in the middle, but he doesn’t carry himself like someone who will grumble about a tactical tweak. Here, the role gave him licence to stride forward more than he ever would at centre-half, and he made it count with that thunderous strike before the break.

Expect to see the same set-up when Sunderland come to Portman Road.

Clarke at 10 – and making his case

If O’Shea’s positioning was one clue, Clarke’s was another. The winger started centrally in the No.10 role, pulling strings rather than hugging the touchline.

We’ve seen flashes of this before. He operated there at times last season and has dipped into that pocket during pre-season under O’Neil. Doing it again in the final friendly before the Premier League restart felt deliberate, not experimental.

Julio Enciso, once his return is finally rubber-stamped, is likely to be the first-choice playmaker. Daizen Maeda has made the left flank his own, with Jaden Philogene back and ready to compete. Clarke, then, becomes the flexible piece – able to slot in centrally or wide without the level dropping.

His performance backed that up. He finished cleanly from Davis’ cutback to level the game, then later swung in a fine cross from the right that Emersonn finished smartly. Sharp touches, good movement, end product. His pre-season form is forcing the conversation.

Where does he start when the real stuff begins? That’s now a genuine selection headache.

Philogene back on the grass

Philogene’s summer has been dominated by noise. Speculation over his future, talk of a move, but no concrete bid on the table. For now, he is still an Ipswich player.

He has spent most of pre-season nursing a hamstring problem, staying around Playford Road and then travelling with the squad to Berlin. Here, he began on the bench before replacing Maeda at half-time.

There were the usual flourishes: tricks, flicks, a few efforts on goal. He looked eager and lively, if not quite able to bend the game to his will from the left. Match rhythm will come with minutes.

What happens next in his story is unclear. What is clear is that, a week before Ipswich return to the Premier League, one of their most gifted attackers is back in blue and white. That, for now, is a win.

Encouraging finish, lingering flaws

Strip away the “just a friendly” caveat and this was a strong way to close the summer. Ipswich’s pre-season started in low gear as fitness built and new signings settled, but the last two outings have felt like a genuine step up.

They never fully strangled control of this game – their dominant spell came in that first-half burst when they rattled in three goals – yet they kept a Bundesliga side largely at arm’s length on their own pitch. That matters, even in August tune-ups.

There were standouts. Clarke and Walle Egeli impressed again. Sasa Lukic, on debut, brought authority and balance to midfield. The starting XI, as a unit, looked coherent and increasingly comfortable with O’Neil’s demands.

The blemishes were obvious too. Both Union goals came from lapses: a dozy response to a quick free-kick, then a switch-off at the back that opened the door for Juranovic. Scherpen won’t enjoy the replays, but he wasn’t the primary culprit on either concession. These are the details a Premier League season will punish ruthlessly.

O’Neil now has a full week on the training ground before Sunderland arrive. Shape can be sharpened. Concentration can be drilled. Roles can be reinforced.

Ready for the “different beast”?

Seven watchable games. Four wins, one draw, two defeats. A clear upward curve as the weeks ticked by. Ipswich look fitter, more aligned with their manager’s tactical and physical demands, and increasingly sure of who starts where.

But the Premier League is unforgiving. It exposes loose touches, slow reactions, soft goals. It tests depth, mentality, and plans like O’Shea at right-back or Clarke in the hole.

Are Town ready to face that again?

Sunderland in Suffolk next Saturday will give the first, honest answer.