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30% duels won: Ipswich star who lost the ball 11x should never have lasted 90 minutes - opinion

Ipswich Town are still without a win in front of the Portman Road masses this season in the Premier League after succumbing to a late defeat to AFC Bournemouth.

Conor Chaplin's first-ever strike in the top-flight would have been a poignant winning goal for Kieran McKenna's men, but Andoni Iraola's Cherries would manage to fight back late on as the hosts showed fatigue, with two strikes right at the death handing the South Coast visitors a dramatic 2-1 victory.

Ipswich-Town

It was coming, as Ipswich struggled to keep Bournemouth at bay all of the second half, with a number of underperformers letting the relegation-threatened outfit down.

Ipswich's main underperformers vs Bournemouth

It was far from a polished display in attack from the Suffolk hosts, as Liam Delap struggled to find the back of the net all match long despite his perseverance.

The former Manchester City wonderkid turned main man for the Tractor Boys squandered one big chance in the game, alongside also giving up possession a colossal 23 times, as Ipswich's top goalscorer for the season to date fell short of his usual high standards.

Liam-Delap-1

Alongside him in the forward positions, Omari Hutchinson was also below par, with just seven accurate passes tallied up from the ex-Chelsea attacker from his measly 27 touches of the ball.

It was also another afternoon to forget for Ipswich goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, as the 26-year-old had to pick the ball out of his goal twice to the frustration of the home masses watching on who aren't convinced by the Kosovan whatsoever.

They're valid in their reasons for being annoyed when taking a peek at these highlights, with Muric way off his line for Enes Ünal to equalise on the 87th-minute mark, before breaking more Ipswich hearts when parrying an effort right into the path of Dango Ouattara to slot home a last-gasp winner.

Still, one of Ipswich's most underwhelming individuals hasn't even been named yet.

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FFC Performance in Numbers

Performance in Numbers

Want data and stats? Football FanCast's Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.

Sam Morsy's performance in numbers

Sam Morsy was perhaps fortuitous that he managed to last the full 90 minutes after a poor day at the office versus the Cherries.

Sam-Morsy

A wonderful servant to the Tractor Boys - as evidenced by wearing the captain's armband all season long - Morsy still struggled against Bournemouth even if most of the Ipswich fanbase holds him in high regard.

It was clear to see from his display that he was tired, which is worrying when you consider the number of games that are coming up in a frantic December for McKenna's men in their bid to beat the drop.

Morsy's performance in numbers

Stat

Minutes played

Touches

Accurate passes

Key passes

Possession lost

Dribbled past

Total duels won

Stats by Sofascore

Looking at the table above, Morsy was way off his usual energetic self which has seen him average 4.8 duels won per contest this season in the Premier League, with only 30% of his duels won against the Cherries.

Moreover, he was also caught out many a time by the tricky feet of the Bournemouth attackers, having been dribbled past an alarming four times, alongside also throwing away possession 11 times which is very much unlike his usual composed character too.

sam-morsy-ipswich

Only missing one top-flight encounter from the busy 15-game calendar, it could be that the Egypt international has just been overworked, with the freshness that was once in his legs during Ipswich's unbelievable promotions not coursing through his veins anymore.

The holding midfielder is 33 years of age after all, with Tractor Boys supporters confused as to why the Ipswich number five lasted the full 90, especially with Kalvin Phillips at McKenna's disposal on the bench.

mckenna-ipswich-town

The positive results that came against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in November now feel like an awful long time ago, with three defeats in a row souring the mood at Portman Road.

McKenna could well have to be more ruthless with his team selections moving forward, therefore, which might result in Morsy being dropped for his side's next test against fellow relegation favourites in Wolverhampton Wanderers.

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