Town captain Sam Morsy believes Aro Muric has been made a scapegoat in recent weeks following the goalkeeper’s performances that has led to Christian Walton replacing the Kosovo international.

Muric signed for the Blues from Burnley for £8 million in July and started every Premier League game from his debut at Manchester City on the second weekend of the season until Monday’s victory over Chelsea.

However, displays have been mixed and calls to replace Muric with Walton began intensifying after a string of mistakes against the likes of Brentford, Bournemouth and Newcastle United.

Muric has had the most errors leading to goals in the Premier League this season with five, two more than any other player in the division.

Morsy heaped praise on the patient Walton, who is set to continue as the starting goalkeeper at Fulham on Sunday, and sympathised with Muric, who he claims will recover strongly when he gets the opportunity.

“A clean sheet and a man of the match performance, it couldn’t have gone any better and it’s great for him,” Morsy said. “We’ve had that over the last couple of seasons with the goalkeeping situation and goalkeepers getting injured and others stepping in.

“I don’t think people understand the saves Aro has made, I think he’s become a little bit of a scapegoat amongst the fanbase. That’s not really what we’re looking for because he’s made some massive saves and kept us in games.

“It feels like a small section at most clubs if results don’t go well they want to put it on one player and blame him. When he gets his chance again he’ll come back really strong.

“Now Walts is going to continue his second game, he’s been really supportive of Aro and they’ve got a good relationship. He’s been training well and that’s the mantra of the club, you never know when it’s going to be your opportunity and he took it with both hands.

“It was a great moment for him, his second game and he’ll be feeling really confident.”

Speaking further on Muric, whose clean sheet at Brighton and Hove Albion in September is widely viewed as one of the great goalkeeping performances, Morsy said: “He’s a popular member of the squad. He’s a really good guy and is working really hard to help and be the best he can.

“Being a goalie is probably the hardest position on the pitch, not only are you asked to make saves but playing with your feet as well. To get both of them to be exceptional you’re probably looking at the best goalie in the world.

“It’s a big challenge but he’s done great and he’ll come back stronger for sure.”

Town travel to London to face Fulham on Sunday in what is their first match of 2025. The Blues are winless in their last eight meetings with the Cottagers but are yet to lose in their three Premier League meetings to date.

Marco Silva’s side are currently eighth in the table and enter this weekend’s clash off the back of a seven-game unbeaten streak that is currently bettered by only Liverpool and Arsenal.

“They’re a really good side,” Morsy said. “They’ve had some really good wins in the first half of the season and are doing well. They’ve got really good individual players, a physical and athletic team that are well coached.

“They’re a little bit of everything and are having a great season. But it’s up to us, our away form has been alright this season and we’re coming off the back of a big win so we have to believe and do our best to get something from the game.

“They’ve got good players all over. [Alex] Iwobi’s a really good player and is having a good season so we’ll have to pay him maximum respect. Antonee Robinson looks like the best left-back in the country at the minute so we’re going to have to do our best to try and nullify him.

“But they’ve got threats all over the pitch and are a really good team, so we’re going to have to be really organised. It’s going to have to be a real team effort doubling up and tripling up on players, that same hard work and humility against Chelsea and see where it takes us.”

Morsy captained United States international Robinson while the pair were together at Wigan Athletic, and the Town midfielder says the full-back will be a big threat at Craven Cottage this weekend.

He said: “He’s having a terrific season and he’s become one of the main attacking threats with seven assists. He’s flying so we’ll have to speak about it and get a plan to stop him because he’s having a brilliant season. I’m really happy for him.”

This weekend also marks the beginning of the second half of the season with Fulham the first opposition the Blues have faced for a second time around.

The reverse fixture in August saw Town pick up their first Premier League point of the season, and Morsy believes his side were unfortunate not to claim more.

“It was a good game and we were probably a little bit unlucky not to have won,” the 33-year-old reflected. “It was a tough game against a proper Premier League team. But they’re at home now and are in great form so it will be a good game.”

Victory over Chelsea on Monday was a huge confidence boost for Kieran McKenna’s side, particularly when the calibre of the opposition includes some of the league’s most in-form players such as Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and Moises Caicedo.

But Morsy knows the importance of staying grounded and immediately switching the focus to the matches ahead instead of spending too much time basking in the glory of results prior.

He said: “You have a day off after the win and when you come back to the training ground it’s important to focus on the next steps. It’s not about talking about the Chelsea win every day, you enjoy it and debrief it and that’s that.

“You then continue the dialogue of how we’re going to get better and how we’re going to beat Fulham. We know the position we are in the division so we won’t be getting too high off any win.

“You can go in full of confidence thinking it’s going to be okay and you’ll be humbled pretty fast. We’ve got to go in and approach it as a really tough game, which it is because they’re a really good side.

“Off the back of the win we know on our day we’re capable of beating anyone. As usual in a Premier League game you need a mixture of a lot of things, but the main thing is how hard we can work, the effort and showcase the best of ourselves. We’ll see if it’s enough to get anything from the game.”

Morsy has started 17 of the Blues’ 19 league fixtures so far this season, only missing out at Brentford through a minor hamstring injury and against Arsenal through suspension.

The Egypt international says the fight for places in the heart of Town’s midfield is a testament to the quality of players at McKenna’s disposal, which include Kalvin Phillips, Jens Cajuste, Jack Taylor and Massimo Luongo.

“It’s the strongest it’s been since I’ve been at the club by far, only two players can play and everyone’s competing,” Morsy said.

“That’s going to be a really big strength of ours for the second half of the season because football is never straight forward with injuries, suspensions and form, so we need to keep that part of the team firing and that will help the team.”

Cajuste in particular has become one of the first names on the team sheet over the last few months having grown into the season following his arrival on loan from Italian giants Napoli in August, and Morsy has been particularly pleased with the Sweden international’s performances.

He said: “I’ve been really impressed. He’s getting better every week and he’s had some outstanding games. He’s come from a different country so he’s adapting to a new culture and a new way of football but I think he’s done brilliantly well.

“He’s a great kid, he keeps improving and hopefully he can keep getting better.

“He’s growing and his confidence is getting better all the time and there’s some excellent coaches here to help him get better. He’s added more bits to his game and you can see he’s really enjoying it.

“A lot of the time if you’re really enjoying your football you are going to play your best, so long may that continue.

“I’ve always looked at any midfielder I’ve played with or on the training ground and there’s always things you can take. The slight nuances of maybe how they move or how they receive the ball or whatever it may be.

“It’s always a learning curve, you can always learn from good players and it’s great to have him here.”

Another player who has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water is swashbuckling centre-forward Liam Delap.

The striker’s latest display against Chelsea has taken him to seven goals and two assists in the Premier League this season. Of Delap, Morsy said: “He’s had a brilliant first half of the season. His parents have raised him really well – he’s really grounded, really humble, works hard, takes advice and he’s doing great.

“From the start of the season to now he’s improving all the time. He’s such a goal threat, he’s getting better and better and that’s the form we’re going to need him in.”

Morsy received his fifth booking of the season against Newcastle last month which ruled him out of the Christmas trip to the Emirates Stadium.

On his suspension, he added: “There’s always that element of the rest side, especially with games coming up thick and fast but I’m experienced enough to know how to deal with those.

“In the younger years you might be disappointed but as you get older you realise it’s part of the game. It’s just to stay focused, don’t take your eye off the ball and be ready.

“You have Arsenal and Chelsea coming up, it’s easy to not be ready but the most important thing is your preparation.”

Photo: TWTD

LancsBlue added 10:35 - Jan 4 The Muric situation is rather more nuanced than some on here seem to understand. Simply dismissing him as 'awful' or 'Sunday League' demonstrates the kind of ill-informed and scapegoating mentality to which Morsy refers. Walton is a sound goalkeeper and by all accounts a decent bloke. However, there is a reason that he has been number 2 for the last season and a half. Muric has a far higher ceiling and the potential to be a very good Premier League goalkeeper. Of course he has made errors, it would be foolish to deny that, but as others have pointed out some of his stats are the best in the league. So do we bin him and take a huge financial hit as some seem to be suggesting, or do we trust our coaches to work with him to reduce errors and develop his full potential? We bought him in large part because he suited the way McKenna likes to play, whereas Walton, for all his strengths, was perceived as not being suited to that style. It was noticeable that he went long quite often against Chelsea. That might eliminate the risk of conceding from a mistake playing out, but that needs to be offset against the dangers of constantly surrendering possession to top flight teams. That in itself creates huge pressure and more often than not in the Premier League will result in conceding goals. We got away with it against a profligate Chelsea side, but won't be so fortunate every week. McKenna is pragmatic, he was probably right to rest Muric, but make no mistake he is still our number one keeper and when McKenna feels the time is right, he will bring him back. Greaves returned despite Burgess' fine form in his absence because he is a better player. However well Walton does and obviously I hope it is very well, I suspect Muric won't be sidelined for too long because he is viewed as the better keeper and we have invested a great deal in him. McKenna will remain confident that he can get a good return on that investment.

6

blues1 added 10:38 - Jan 4 Bobble What are you on about?"Walton wasnt made a scapegoat. He only played that game bce Muric was ill. So Muri waszalways gonna play once recovered. And I'm sure Walton was aware of that. And don't say but what about last season when hladky kept his place. Totally different,,as Walton had been out for around 3 months. Not 1,game.
-3

Linkboy13 added 10:41 - Jan 4 Deep down Sam will be delighted Christian is back in the team and judging by the body language of our defence so will they. You will have to scratch your heads to think of many bad games Walton has had the only one really bad one being Charlton away couple of seasons ago.
5

blues1 added 10:43 - Jan 4 TractorfactorSteve. " needs to atone for his errors"? You dont think 67 saves, the 2nd most made in the pl,( only the Brentford keeper made more), atones for the 5 goals he's cost us? Yes, that's still too many. But 5 goals in 17 games. Last season Walton was at fault for 4 goals in 2 games. Did u slate him ?
-1

blues1 added 10:51 - Jan 4 Bluearmy81. I can tell you exactly why he came out against bournemouth. We had been giving the ball away constantly through the 2nd half, putting increasing pressure on him and the defence. So whan Johnson, despite his best efforts to do so, failed to cut out the long ball, he felt he needed to come out. Problem is, once that decision has been made he had to get there but didn't. So yes, while the wrong decision by him, it came about by our inability to keep hold of the ball, and take the pressure of the defence. Not excusing him for that decision but there are often other factors to be taken into account. Unfortunately for him, as Morsy rightly says, a section of our fans have to have a scapegoat. Used to be Knudsen, then it was Chambers. Now it's Muric. Especially from fans on this site.

0

Marinersnose added 10:58 - Jan 4 Well done Morsy I totally agree with that statement. Muric plays a high risk high reward game which is how McKenna wants his team to play and therefore they’ll always be errors at this level. Cajuste made an error and Muric was blamed by the fans. McKenna has changed his formation and we looked stronger against Arsenal and Chelsea and the keeper played more long balls. Walton will have to go long as he’s not comfortable with his feet but this will mean 50/50 balls and a strong likelihood of conceding possession. Muric has definitely made some mistakes which have been costly but so have defenders and midfielders. We have a small group of PL fans who will probably move on if we’re relegated.

2

Marinersnose added 11:04 - Jan 4 BTW Spurs fans were raving about Muric when we beat them. They praised the way he commanded his penalty area. Those who have supported town previous seasons will know that Walton has his faults as well. Kicking is a problem and always has been. McKenna didn’t trust him in the Championship. We all remember Charlton away!!!
3

Dozzells_Bobblehat added 11:08 - Jan 4 LancsBlue - spot on in your assessment . Walton was brilliant the other night and long may it continue but as you said it was hugely noticeable how much less we played out from the back and we did give the ball away quite a lot from long goal kicks .
0

Lightningboy added 11:18 - Jan 4 Wasn't seeing much (if any) communication between Muric and his defenders. The defence looked much happier with Walton behind them the other night. Says it all.
3

BlueSkies added 11:48 - Jan 4 Not only does Blues1 only ever come on here to have a go at people, he also doesn't understand irony, eh Bobble!
2

runningout added 11:49 - Jan 4 Criticism is part of the territory being a professional. Some of our fans haven’t worked out the balance and have let themselves down.
1

Vic added 11:56 - Jan 4 Wow - on the back of a report from our captain about the criticism a player has recieved the comment section has people continuing with the same criticisms! Unbelievable. Ok the guy has made some mistakes - the captain is asking us all to lay off him. Let’s do as he asks guys!
4

ArnieM added 12:21 - Jan 4 So who was it thst charged off his line like a headless chicken at Man City, West Ham, and whoever it was at PR a week.or do ago. Who was it that was beaten at his near post at PR a couple of weeks ago? Who was it who gave the ball to a Town player marked by three Newcastle players in our 6 yard area? He's not being made a scapegoat. HE keeps making unforced stupid errors that cost us dearly. Didn't happen v Chelsea did it!

2

algarvefan added 12:28 - Jan 4 I agree that he's not the only one who has made mistakes, the problem with goalkeepers is they tend to be fatal errors, we all need to be positive and see it as time to work on his game and reflect, it now has to be his job to reclaim his place in the team, that's football, it's a tough world and they are, unlike the rest of us, paid very well for their efforts, paid well for something most of us did for pleasure and for free, so lets not get too carried away with the sympathy. Walton had a good game against Chelsea and now it's his turn in the spotlight, I wish them both well, they are both good keepers, but Walton deserves his chance.

0

Northstandveteran added 12:47 - Jan 4 Muric has been made a complete scapegoat. Not knocking Kieran but he is doing what he has been told to do. He has been put under pressure by all the f ing about in the box. I thought he had a good game against Arsenal but the team weren't pi££ing about with the ball in their own area as was the case against Chelsea. Muric is class and will return stronger. Let's hope so, he will more than likely play a part this season.

5

Linkboy13 added 12:58 - Jan 4 All keepers make good saves but the better ones make fewer mistakes and that's where Muric falls down im afraid but he's still young for a keeper so could still come good.
1

Leejames99 added 13:09 - Jan 4 The treatment by some fans of Muric, our own player, has been an absolute disgrace and typical Ipswich, some should be ashamed, he is a human but all so a Man City Academy, Premiership experienced young man. How would any of you like to be goaded online everytime you finish work for any mistake? This forum is for opinions not abuse and bullying! Think before you type!

3

Bazza8564 added 13:36 - Jan 4 For Sam to have come out and say this publicly is a measure of how thoroughly pi88ed off the players must be feeling about some of the comments our fans have made about Aro, I thought Walton played great against Chelsea and probably deserves a run now but I don't think some of our fans have any perception of the impact their stupidity has. And reading some of the comments on page one of this article it seems they still don't

4

blueboy1981 added 13:40 - Jan 4 Playing out from the back, is an abomination of modern day football, which is prone to costly error and puts both Defenders and Goalkeepers under unnecessary pressure ! Some just cannot, and do not agree with,or adapt to it. Only the very best can deal with it - give me the old style of clearing your lines, if necessary into the Stands.Tippy Tappy, sideways and backwards, is boring anyway and invariably non effective, other than increase useless Stats - which mean sod all anyway !

0

blueboy1981 added 13:48 - Jan 4 Have we a Prem’ level Goalkeeper Coach ? - it seems maybe not !! Muric has the makings of a Prem. League Keeper - with Good Coaching to eliminate elementary errors, for sure !
2

DavoIPB added 14:13 - Jan 4 Muric still one of my favourites town goal keepers. Way better at commanding box than almost all other keepers I have seen. His confidence is shot though and can see defenders don't look comfortable with him. Some of his saves this year have been the best saves I've seen from an Ipswich goal keeper. The beaten at the near post thing. Saw lots of keepers beaten at near post this year.

-3

churchmans added 14:48 - Jan 4 You ain't seen many town goalkeepers have you? Richard wright no1 Kelvin Davis no2 Paul cooper no 3 Bartos bialkoski no4 The rest are up for debate I remember asmir begovic playing on loan and I thought he was awesome! To early to say where muric is or will end up on the list! Will do muric good to miss out some games as that provides competion and he should come back stronger? Many of us on here i assume have played football! Doesn't matter what level if you played the game you know what it's like! You know what its like to gas out or getting skinned by a younger whipper snapper,or get wiped out by a bellend who couldn't keep up with you! And the same goes for the keeper behind you! Muric ain't no scapegoat he has just made a lot of mistakes that most of us have noticed Never know what your going to get! Sometimes great but sometimes looks like a rabbit in the headlights Do I think he our best keeper? Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't! It ain't conclusive enough! Muric faces top players every week and Walton will be up against it against Fulham! The prem leauge is savage

1

Bert added 15:58 - Jan 4 Critical fans being criticised. Love the irony !
1

Dissboyitfc added 16:00 - Jan 4 well paid he might be and i am sure he may well cope, my point is if someone is low on confidence a kick is not going to help much is it.
-1

TedTurnip added 16:07 - Jan 4 Controversial , I know , but don’t forget KMcK signed him and it was his choice to make him our Number 1. He can’t have no accountability for that and we level it all at Muric. He’s the boss, the buck stops with him I’m afraid
1

Blogs 298 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls