Ex-Arsenal player reveals Ipswich Town issue that Kieran McKenna must fix | OneFootball

Kieran McKenna has been urged to find a way to get two of his best players to combine

Adrian Clarke believes that Kieran McKenna needs to find a way to get two of Ipswich Town’s best players working in unison.

The Tractor Boys have burst into life after experiencing a mixed start to the 2025/26 Championship campaign, which saw them fail to win in their first four league matches.

Ipswich were unbeaten in their last six matches before suffering defeat against Oxford United but are still just two points shy of the play-offs and six back from automatic promotion.

The Tractor Boys’ immense quality has been evident in recent times, with operators such as George Hirst, Marcelino Nunez and Chuba Akpom beginning to perform at their best.

However, McKenna still hasn’t found a way to deploy arguably his two most effective players at the same time.

Adrian Clarke calls on Kieran McKenna to find Jack Clarke and Jaden Philogene solution

Having just come down from the Premier League, Ipswich enjoy arguably the Championship’s best squad, filled to the brim with talent in all departments.

Within that group, Jack Clarke and Jaden Philogene could be considered the Suffolk outfit’s two best players. Both have unique abilities that allow them to beat opposition defenders on the wing with ease, before delivering a hammer blow with their excellent technical strengths.

In most teams, this duo would be the key to Championship success. However, McKenna hasn’t managed to find a way to effectively play them at the same time, as left wing is both of their favoured position.

When speaking on What The EFL?! Podcast, former Arsenal and EFL midfielder Adrian Clarke believes that Ipswich have to try and resolve their inability to play both Philogene and Clarke, even if it means deploying one of them in an unnatural area.

“They've got to find a way,” stated Clarke. “I think it's definitely possible. Definitely. Can one of them play off the front, potentially?

Surely Clarke or Philogene can mix things up, play left and right.

“I think Philogene is such a match-winner, isn't he? He's so capable of taking games away from opponents that you want him in the team.

“They've got to find a way, maybe as a No.10, one of them can slot in there and make things happen.”

Solving Jack Clarke and Jaden Philogene conundrum could be the key to promotion

Coventry City appear to be the Championship’s runaway leaders, and it would take a great deal to best them even at this early stage of the season.

However, the second automatic promotion place is fully up for grabs and Ipswich Town possess the necessary quality to make it their own.

Clarke has been limited to just seven league starts this term, which simply isn’t good enough for one of the division’s best players. If McKenna can find a way to have both him and Philogene running at defences on a weekly basis, it could cause chaos.

This would no doubt result in an increase in goals, which means winning more often and accumulating more points.