Stuart Watson, EADT and Ipswich Star: Relegated Tractor Boys will be favourites for instant Premier League return | OneFootball

Ipswich Town will be the favourites to return to the Premier League next season should they keep hold of manager Kieran McKenna, explains Stuart Watson, chief football writer for the East Anglian Daily Times and Ipswich Star.

The Tractor Boys, who host Brentford at Portman Road on Saturday (3pm kick-off GMT), had their relegation confirmed following a 3-0 defeat at Newcastle United last month, but are arguably the best placed out of the three teams dropping down from the top flight to challenge for promotion next term.

It has ultimately ended in relegation, but Ipswich Town were finally back in the Premier League this season, having been away since 2001/02. How would you say it’s gone overall?

It has been pretty brutal. That is a word that the chairman Mark Ashton has used to sum up the season, and I think that pretty much hits the nail on the head.

Ipswich spent 22 years away from the Premier League - and it has changed a hell of a lot in that time – so maybe myself, fans and everyone underestimated just how big a leap it was after back-to-back promotions. Anything feels possible when you have been on that sort of run.

They spent a fair chunk of money in the summer transfer window, over £100 million, and there was maybe a little hope that they would give it a bit of a better go than this, but they have, ultimately, fallen short.

They were relegated with four games to go, which has sparked a bit of a debate about this growing gulf between the Championship and the Premier League.

What would you highlight as key factors in Ipswich's relegation?

It is multifaceted, to be honest. I would not say there is one particular thing that has been the reason for it. What I would say is probably the bare stats maybe do not tell the full picture.

There have been only four wins all season, with just one at home, 22 points, and a minus 41 goal difference; it looks like they have fallen miles short, but it probably doesn't tell the full picture.

Certainly, in the first half of the season, they did carry a bit of that momentum from the Championship, and there have been a lot of sliding doors moments along the way.

I look at some of the early season games where they gave Aston Villa, Manchester United and Fulham, just to name three, really competitive games at Portman Road, and they all ended in draws.

They were not quite able to get that win over the line, and I think then it becomes a bit of a psychological factor; the longer you go into the season without a win, it becomes a bit of a mental block.

I would say injuries have been right up there in terms of reasons, too. Ipswich needed absolutely everything to go their way this season to stand even half a chance, and they have suffered more than most.

Every team has injuries, of course they do, but Ipswich have had plenty, and they seem to have come in specific positions along the way.

The right side in particular has been completely decimated. Wes Burns and Chiedozie Ogbene are two fast, direct right-wingers that are fairly integral to the style of play, and they both suffered season-ending injuries, so that has not helped.

Beyond that, it has just been the step up in quality, I guess, and I think squad depth has been a big thing. They have been in games and would be out of the relegation zone if games finished after 75 minutes, which tells you that they have done a lot of things right.

But I think, ultimately, squad depth comes into it. In the Championship, they would often change the front three or four around 70 minutes and the greater quality, depth and fitness would overwhelm Championship teams - and the boot has been on the other foot in the Premier League.

There's plenty more in there, but so close yet so far is probably how I would sum up the season.

There have been some eye-catching results and it feels as though Leicester and Southampton have taken the brunt of the criticism aimed towards the bottom three. Will that give them hope of bouncing back next season?

I think so, yes. It is easy to forget, but Ipswich went up from the Championship very much against the odds.

There was a feeling they had no right to compete against the likes of Leicester, not far removed from a Premier League title win and Champions League football.

Southampton had had a decade-plus in the Premier League and Leeds missed out in that season in a real high-quality Championship promotion race, so Ipswich were major underdogs to go back-to-back.

They did not spend a lot of money in that Championship season, and it was a success built on team chemistry and a manager that was well-sought after off the back of that.

One year on, to come back down and probably be seen as being in a better place than Leicester and Southampton speaks volumes.

Those two have chopped and changed with managers, but Ipswich have stuck with Kieran McKenna and they have talked about that stability being a superpower going forward.

The recruitment last summer was with half an eye on potentially coming back down to the Championship. They signed a lot of young English players, the best of the Championship: Jacob Greaves, Jack Clarke, you could go through quite a few of them.

There will be some that go. Liam Delap is the obvious one after the season he has had and I am sure there will be two or three more on top of that, but I do not think there will be a mass exodus and there is a feeling that, if McKenna stays, which he is suggesting he will, and they keep the core of the squad there, I would imagine they will start next season as Championship favourites.

That will come with its own pressures and challenges as well, but there is no doubt about it, from where the club across in the last five, 10 years, it has come on leaps and bounds and it is a healthy picture here.

Which player should Brentford fans keep an eye on at Portman Road?

If you have seen Julio Enciso’s goal at Goodison Park at the weekend, you will know he is an X factor player, capable of something special.

They signed him on loan from Brighton in January and he had a little injury setback straightaway, but in his 10 games, we have seen some flashes of genius from him.

Liam Delap has got all the headlines this season and I think he has pretty much got the pick of any club in the land at the moment: Chelsea, Manchester United, Newcastle, even Bayern Munich and Juventus. Everyone is being linked with him.

He is a bit of a throwback; he is big, powerful, a bit of a battering ram who likes to fight centre-halves and he hits the ball harder than anyone I have ever seen.

In terms of shape and style, what should Brentford expect from Ipswich?

It has flexed over the course of the season. Kieran McKenna is a 4-2-3-1 man, albeit with a fair bit of nuance to that. Leif Davis covers the entire left side, so the left winger tends to tuck right in and play almost as an extra no.10.

Normally the right winger stays high and right and there is almost a bit of a cheat code really, but they have been robbed of those options on the right this season.

As the season has gone on, and they suffered a few heavy defeats around the turn of the year, it has become more pragmatic and it has looked more like a back three or back five at times, just to try and stay in games and nick things on the counter attack.

It did go back to more of a 4-2-3-1 at Goodison Park last weekend and I think now, with nothing to play for, there is probably a little bit of planning for next season, getting back to trying to be the front-foot team that got them their success in the Championship.

They have got a few more attacking options back now, a couple of players came back from injury last weekend, so I would imagine back at Portman Road, where they have not had an awful amount of joy this season, it will be more of that 4-2-3-1, with four proper out-and-out attackers.

Brentford won the first Premier League meeting 4-3 in October – what’s your score prediction for this one?

We are at this stage of the season now where it is impossible to predict!

Do teams start playing with a bit of freedom and express themselves or is there an element of being on the beach and players protecting themselves for the summer? I don't know.

Looking at Brentford from afar and some of the results they have had - the weekend's game against Manchester United included - would suggest maybe we will be in for an entertaining one and a fair few goals.

Given Brentford’s extra quality, I will go with them to win 2-1.