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Ipswich: Toto Nsiala will bounce back from Accrington nightmare, says Tomas Holy
Ipswich goalkeeper Tomas Holy is confident that team-mate Toto Nsiala will quickly bounce back from a difficult afternoon at Accrington Stanley last Sunday.
The East Anglian Daily Times reported quotes from the goalkeeper sticking up for the defender, who was booked and conceded a penalty before being substituted at half-time in the Tractor Boys’ 0-2 defeat.
Holy said of Nsiala: “It was his first game after a long time out. He just needs to get back into the games again.
“It wasn’t easy for him, but I wouldn’t blame him at all. He’s done very well, is a great footballer and has a great mentality. He will be very important for us again.” [via East Anglian Daily Times]
The game at the Crown Ground was Nsiala’s first in the league this season, following on from his appearance in the EFL Trophy win over Gillingham earlier this month, having incurred a hamstring injury during the summer that kept him out of action until October.
His performance at Accrington came in for a less than flattering review from Stuart Watson of the East Anglian Daily Times, who said: “The centre-back looked more than a little ring-rusty. His foul on [Colby] Bishop for the penalty was clumsy, barging into the striker late after the ball had bounced in the box.”
While the concession of the penalty was a key moment in the game, enabling Accrington to double their lead shortly before half-time, there were some positives to the 27-year-old’s performance, with five clearances, four successful aerial duels and two interceptions during his 45 minutes on the pitch. [via WhoScored]
However, with Paul Lambert largely opting for a central defensive trio of Luke Woolfenden, Luke Chambers and James Wilson, and the latter due back after his suspension for the Accrington game, Nsiala could find himself out of the team again rather quickly. His half-time culling at the Crown Ground on Sunday hinted that he had not overly impressed his manager.
Nsiala showed last season that he can be a very useful asset in this Ipswich team – he had the second highest average rating of Lambert’s squad according to WhoScored and had the second best averages in the squad for aerial duels (five per game) and interceptions (2.2 per game).
Sunday may have been one of those off-days where nothing went his way, but it could also be a costly one for him if Lambert continues to keep faith with the trio of Woolfenden, Chambers and Wilson given their regular presence in what has been by far the tightest defence in League One with just seven goals conceded.
Ipswich fans, what did you make of Nsiala’s performance on Saturday? Do you think he’ll soon get the chance to put that behind him? Comment below with your views!
