Why Andre Dozzell could be the star man in Ipswich’s new era

As a new era dawns at Portman Road, Ipswich manager Paul Cook will be keen to see who’ll be part of his squad for next season.

The 54-year-old is known to implement a 4-2-3-1 formation, with a focus on organisation and determination. This has been introduced in his first three matches in charge of the club against Gillingham, Lincoln City and Plymouth Argyle.

It’s clear that the summer will see a huge transition for the club. While the Tractor Boys currently occupy the last playoff place with 12 games remaining, it seems unlikely that they’ll earn promotion this season. The impetus will be on identifying which of their current crop of players fit Cook’s philosophy, and who they need to bring in to challenge for promotion next season.

One of the players who’ll almost definitely remain in Suffolk next season is Andre Dozzell.

The 21-year-old was tipped for greatness earlier in his career, but an ACL tear on the opening day of the 2017/18 season saw his meteoric rise come to a grinding halt. It took a while for him to rediscover his form and be fully reintroduced to the club’s starting lineup, eventually coming in as the holding midfielder in Paul Lambert’s 4-3-3 system this season.

The Ipswich-born midfielder has started all of Cook’s first three games in charge, lining up in a double pivot alongside Teddy Bishop or Flynn Downes – all of whom came through the club’s academy. In Ipswich’s 1-0 win against Plymouth, Dozzell highlighted why he may be the most important player in their promotion push.

In many ways, he feels like an unorthodox defensive midfielder. Despite standing at 5’10, he’s not an overly physical presence and doesn’t throw himself into tackles, but his knowledge of the game is incredible for such a young player. His movement to intercept misplaced passes is crucial to Ipswich’s possession-based style, especially against a Plymouth side who took an overly defensive-minded approach to the game.

In fact, Ryan Lowe opted to change his favoured 5-3-2 formation to a 5-4-1, with the Pilgrims having lost four of their previous five games before heading to Portman Road. However, their game plan was soon torn to pieces as Tottenham loanee Troy Parrott capitalised on a wayward pass to round the goalkeeper and open the scoring for the hosts after just four minutes.

Ipswich dominated the opening exchanges, with the visitors unsure of how to handle facing such an intense press. This was spearheaded by the Tractor Boys’ double pivot of Bishop and Dozzell (following Downes’ injury early in the first half) who hunted as a duo to win back the ball and set up the attacking quartet ahead of them.

This is where Dozzell really shines. His slender stature makes him incredibly agile, allowing him to skip past his opponents without much trouble. Given that Plymouth lined up with four midfielders and five defenders, the 21-year-old’s movements could really be appreciated when he was able to take multiple players out of the game with a single movement.

When he’s in an advanced position, his passing range comes into the spotlight. He had the vision to pick out Alan Judge or Gwion Edwards on either flank when they were making runs in behind the Pilgrims’ defence, regularly leaving goalkeeper Michael Cooper completely exposed.

Ultimately, Ipswich’s attack wasn’t sharp enough to double the lead. It allowed Plymouth to grow back into the game and create chances of their own, especially when they reverted to their preferred 5-3-2 formation. However, Parrott’s early goal was enough to seal the points, and Cook’s men didn’t need to take any of their subsequent opportunities to secure the win.

Of course, this will change over time. When the players adapt to Cook’s football ideology and recruit players who suit how he wants to set up, Ipswich will be a much more threatening side. Dozzell, however, will surely remain a constant in his starting lineup. At such a tender age, he may turn out to be the club’s most valuable asset in years to come.

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