Massimo Luongo outlines when Ipswich may declare themselves a contender for the championship

admin | December 2, 2023 | Other Clubs | No Comments

If called up by Australia for the Asia Cup, the Tractor Boys midfielder would miss the majority of January, but by then, he hopes their status as promotion contenders is cemented.

Massimo Luongo, a great player for Ipswich, is unsure if he will play for Australia in the January Asia Cup, but he thinks the Tractor Boys will know by then if they are serious contenders for promotion.

This afternoon, Coventry visit Portman Road, marking the start of a busy December for Kieran McKenna’s team, which also includes fierce rivals Norwich, Leeds, and leaders Leicester.

Luongo, 31, was not included in the Australian team for over five years prior to being called up in October due to his excellent performance at Ipswich. With everything at stake in Suffolk, he isn’t considering spending a month in Qatar, though.

He remarked, “If you know the Socceroos’ history, they’re last-minute call-ups.” When tournaments occur, certain players are exaggerated by the media. It’s always unpredictable who will be chosen and who won’t. When we go to that bridge, we’ll cross it.

When it comes down to it, I’m sure I’ll talk to individuals both over here and over there. Since I really can’t say no, I’ll just have to settle down and concentrate on the games we have till then.

The matchups with Norwich, Leeds, and Leicester between December 16 and Boxing Day may have Ipswich supporters giddy with anticipation. But Coventry, the defeated play-off finalists from the previous season who have turned things around with three straight clean sheets, will be up first.

McKenna, the manager, won’t acknowledge that his club is vying for promotions on a regular basis. However, if Ipswich keeps up their current pace over the next four weeks, he might find that hard to refute.

“December will highlight which teams are going to push and which aren’t,” Luongo continued. Why not [us] since there’s a reason we’re there? Although difficult, these are exciting times. It will be interesting to see where we are, but we might emerge out of it in this period before the new year.