It's been a rough month for Ipswich Town.
Since their win over Coventry City in the FA Cup, Kieran McKenna's side have failed to win again in five outings, four of which were in the Premier League.
If the Tractor Boys are going to pull themselves out of the relegation zone over the coming weeks, they'll have to seriously step their performances up, and this afternoon's game against Nottingham Forest could be the perfect opportunity to do so.
kieran mckenna
That said, the manager is going to have to make several changes to the starting lineup, changes that see Jaden Philogene drop to the bench.
Why Philogene should be dropped
Truthfully, you could argue why several of Ipswich's starters against Crystal Palace should be dropped, but when it comes to the attack, Liam Delap is undoubtedly the team's most dangerous player, and Jack Clarke appears to be slowly growing into his role.
Philogene-Ipswich-Premier-League
So, unfortunately for Philogene, that leaves him as the most likely to be dropped from the lineup, and given his lacklustre display against the Eagles, he probably should be axed.
The former Aston Villa ace was wholly ineffective against the South Londoners, and the few times he did have the chance to influence the game, he was found lacking.
Jaden Philogene
Unsurprisingly, the East Anglian Daily Times' Alex Jones was equally unimpressed with the "ridiculous" Englishman, as dubbed by ex-Hull boss Liam Rosenior, giving him a 5/10 match rating and writing that it felt like he 'hardly had any time in possession'.
The 23-year-old's statistics do not make for pretty reading either, as in his 67 minutes of action he failed to score from an expected goals figure of 0.65, took just 22 touches, had a pass completion of just 57%, failed in 100% of his dribbles, missed two big chances, lost four of six ground duels and lost the ball six times.
Philogene's game in numbers
Minutes
Expected Goals
Goals
Big Chances Missed
Touches
Passing Accuracy
Key Passes
Dribbles (Successful)
Ground Duels (Won)
Lost Possession
All Stats via Sofascore
It was a performance to forget from the talented winger and one that should see him replaced for today's clash.
The Ipswich star who should replace Philogene
Given the injuries McKenna has to contend with and the lacklustre form of several other attacking options, the most likely and best choice to come in for Philogene this afternoon is Omari Hutchinson.
Omari-Hutchinson-Ipswich-1
The former Chelsea ace came off the bench against Palace after missing the FA Cup defeat to Forest with a knee injury but will more than likely be fit enough to play from the first whistle today, which will be a big boost.
The Englishman has primarily played down the middle this term but has made five appearances off the right, so he should have no problem stepping in for the former Villa gem.
Radu-Dragusin-Spurs-Omari-Hutchinson-Ipswich
Moreover, while the "superb" talent, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, hasn't exactly been prolific this season, he's been solid, amassing a tally of three goals and two assists in 26 league appearances, and two of those goal involvements have come in the last four outings.
Moreover, the 21-year-old has shown us that he can rise to the occasion and produce something quite spectacular, as he did when scoring his long-range effort at home to Manchester United last year.
Ultimately, there is no surefire way to get Ipswich back on track against Forest this afternoon, but with Philogene failing to take his chances last week, dropping him for Hutchinson seems like a positive step.
Tuanzebe-Ipswich Related
[Forget Tuanzebe: McKenna can axe Godfrey by unleashing Ipswich "warrior"](https://www.footballfancast.com/kieran-mckenna-must-now-unleash-ipswich-warrior-dara-oshea/ "Forget Tuanzebe: McKenna can axe Godfrey by unleashing Ipswich "warrior"")
Kieran McKenna will hope this Ipswich Town star can replace Axel Tuanzebe effectively.