Ahead of Ipswich Town’s Carabao Cup third-round clash against Arsenal at Portman Road, manager Gary O’Neil has admitted that facing Mikel Arteta’s side presents a uniquely difficult puzzle. While O’Neil pointed out that preparing for the Gunners from a tactical standpoint is relatively straightforward due to their rigid consistency and well-defined structure, actually stopping them on the pitch is an entirely different matter.
Despite the massive gulf in stature, Ipswich enter the tie with some momentum following a dramatic late win over Crystal Palace. In a chat with the club’s website, O’Neil insisted that his team will not just sit back, promising a strong side that will give it their best go playing at home. “Arsenal are tough to beat, even if you do everything right. I will make some changes to my team.
I’m sure Mikel Arteta will make changes to his team, but it is a game we want to win. “I want us to get as far in the cups as we possibly can, so we are going to give it our best go at home under the lights. “We missed an opportunity against Liverpool (at the start of September). We played well, but it was already 2-0 in the ninth minute.
“We missed an opportunity to use the energy of Portman Road under the lights against a big side, but we can correct that on Tuesday. “We can start the game well. We can take the fans with us. We can attempt to beat one of the best sides around.”