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McCarthy Could Use New System Again - Ipswich Town News

Boss Mick McCarthy says he’ll look at using the 4-3-3 system employed in the second half at Blackpool in future games after it led to a turnaround which saw the Blues win 3-2 and claim their first away victory of the season at Bloomfield Road.

The Town manager, who generally prefers to stick with 4-4-2, says he’ll be weighing up his options ahead of Leicester’s visit to Portman Road following the international break.

"Of course I will,” he said. "It’s nice if you’ve got the personnel to do it. Dids [McGoldrick] can drop in and play in midfield, and Tayls. Of course I’ll have a look, we’ve just won a game playing it.”

Town’s top scorer operated as the most advanced of three central midfielders - with Paul Taylor, Daryl Murphy and Frank Nouble forming the front three - and McCarthy feels that that role might suit him more than an out and out striking role on occasion: "He’s such a clever footballer, Dids.

"I think sometimes when you’ve got big ugly fellas like me knocking him from behind and keeping kicking him and kicking him, it’s tough. If he can find his space and play, he’s got a pass in him, he works hard, he’s a good player.”

Half-time subs Taylor and Nouble scored their first goals of the season, while another of McCarthy's strikers, Daryl Murphy, netted the late, late winner, his fifth, giving him plenty to think about with regard to his frontmen during the international break.

The Blues boss said that he gave Nouble a talking-to in training late last week: "He’s repaid it in bundles today because I had a snarl at him [on Friday] because I wasn’t happy with him in training. I did have a proper snarl at him.

"He was great. TC’s spoken to him since, of course, he’s had the trowel out and smoothed it. I told him that’s the way to repay it.

"I don’t take poor performances. On the pitch you can play badly, but you give everything, and it was just one of those days for him. I’m sure he’s feeling better today than he was [on Friday] when he walked off the training ground.”

McCarthy also revealed that defender Christophe Berra was subbed having been suffering from the effects of a sickness bug ahead of and during the game.

The Blues were missing another of their central defenders, Tommy Smith, at Bloomfield Road with the 23-year-old forced to travel to meet up with the New Zealand squad in LA while the game took place in order to keep to a FIFA-imposed deadline.

Smith is set to skipper the All Whites in their World Cup play-off first leg in Mexico on Wednesday with the second game in Wellington seven days later.

With Smith not expected back with the Town squad until the day before the Leicester match, McCarthy already has the centre-half down as a doubt for the Foxes’ visit.

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