Conor Chaplin Talks Big Game, Set Piece Power, and Personal Bliss Ahead of Bournemouth Clash for Ipswich Town

Successive 1-0 defeats to Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace have dampened the mood after the highs of a win at Tottenham Hotspur and a draw against Manchester United. The Blues sit 18th in the table, three points from safety, with a tough run of games coming up later this month. Externally, the noise is getting louder. Internally, it’s as quiet as ever, with all eyes on tomorrow’s game against AFC Bournemouth – a chance for Town to get their first home win of the season. “It’s definitely a big one for us,” Chaplin said. “They are a tough opponent, again, a really tough opponent. I think everyone that’s seen them recently and watched the game last night (v Tottenham) would say that as well. “But it’s a chance at home for us. Obviously it didn’t go the way we wanted it to the other day, it was a tight game where we came out on the wrong side of the margins, but this will be another one at home where we’ll want to create a very good atmosphere. “We want to play on the front foot. It’s going to be a different type of game, the way that Bournemouth play, but one that will hopefully be a good spectacle.” Conor Chaplin says tomorrow's game is 'a big one' (Image: PA) The Cherries are in the national spotlight at the moment, in a similar position to Ipswich after their home game against the Man United last month. Their eye-catching victory against Spurs – the last game in the most recent set of midweek fixtures – has seen them receive a lot of praise, and rightfully so. They won the match 1-0 but it easily could have been four or five. Arsenal and Manchester City have also been put to the sword at the Vitality Stadium in the last few weeks. “They are a really good team, a team I really like to watch personally,” Chaplin explained. “I think they are a team that’s brave in possession, they press really well, they press really relentlessly too. “They are probably a team very similar to us in terms of the way they are coached and where their players have been. They have had a lot of players that have come through the leagues, a lot of players that I’ve played against a lot as well. “It’s nice to see a club like that, one that’s maybe a little bit further along in their progression to where we want to be. That’s just time. “They have obviously had their spell in the Championship and look like they are establishing themselves really well in the Premier League in the last couple of years. “They have got some really good players and I’ve got a lot of respect for the way they do things.” Bournemouth are in good form heading to Suffolk (Image: Richard Crease) An outsider would be forgiven for predicting a comfortable away win. Bournemouth are a considerably better team than Crystal Palace are at the moment, and the Eagles claimed all three points at Portman Road on Tuesday evening thanks to Jean-Philippe Mateta’s second-half strike. However, when asked whether Bournemouth’s style could suit Ipswich more compared to that of their previous opponents, Chaplin said: “Potentially, but that’s the challenge. I think there’s a different challenge each and every week in the Premier League. “Maybe it does. It’s similar to the way we want to go about things, and maybe a more open and hellfire game, as such, would help us more. “We also need to find a way to back ourselves and keep clean sheets when it’s a tight game and both teams aren’t giving up much, when there isn’t loads of quality in the match because both teams are defending really well. “It’s going to be a different game to the last two, I think. Maybe I’ll be wrong, but I think it will. “Time will tell and we’ll see on Sunday.” Ipswich haven’t had many opportunities from open play in the last two matches. Set pieces have been their best outlet – for example, Cameron Burgess’ header from a corner that was cleared off the line against Nottingham Forest. Then, against Crystal Palace, Jacob Greaves hit the post from a free-kick. In tight games like that, they are often crucial. Chaplin has seen other teams benefit from them and now wants Ipswich to start doing the same. Town have come close to scoring from set-pieces - like this Cam Burgess effort at Forest - but are yet to hit the net (Image: PA) “I think you see it throughout the league,” he argued. “I was watching Arsenal against Manchester United the other night. Arsenal are probably the best in the league at it. “Obviously after a while, if you score a few, you get a little bit of a fear factor. I could see that in the game. “They are massive, it doesn’t matter at what level of football, honestly. It doesn’t matter. They are such big moments. We did really, really well last year in scoring a lot. "Against Crystal Palace, in the 43rd or 44th minute, Harry Clarke had one saved off the line. If that goes in, everyone thinks it’s a good half of football. It doesn’t go in and everyone thinks it’s not. “It’s one of those where they can really be big moments and we really feel like we’re close to scoring off a set piece. We feel like we’re doing the right things – the deliveries have been good, the runners have been good, blocks have been good. “We feel like we have been really close to scoring. We just need to make sure that we take the next step and reward ourselves.” Having tall, physical players will help with that. Ipswich’s defenders certainly tick that box, as does Liam Delap. Fellow striker George Hirst probably does too, but unfortunately, he’s set to miss the next few games with a hamstring injury. Even with George Hirst out injured, Chaplin doesn't think he'll be asked to play as a striker (Image: Ross Halls) It leaves the Blues light in that department, with manager Kieran McKenna looking at the likes of Sammie Szmodics and Nathan Broadhead to fill the void. Chaplin, however, doesn’t believe he’ll be asked to do the same. “I think my days are done up front, mate,” he laughed. “Ask the boss, but I don’t think he’s going to play me up front! “It’s not really the profile that we’ve used over the last three years. We’ve got profiles for positions in our team. I don’t think it’s something that I can play. “I’d love to play there! I have done for a lot of time, but I also haven’t done for a long time as well. “It’s not really a profile match.” It’s absolutely vital for those who are playing regular minutes for Town have a strong mentality. This club are used to picking up points for fun, but in the top flight, that won’t happen. Psychologically, you can’t get too high or too low after winning or losing a game of football. Chaplin says boss Kieran McKenna is 'very level-headed' (Image: Ross Halls) “It’s a lot easier when you’re winning every week, that’s for sure,” Chaplin stated. “We’re really lucky here that we have a very level-headed manager who isn’t on an emotional rollercoaster, which helps. “He leads incredibly well. He puts everything into perspective when it needs to be put into perspective and brings everything back together to be close-knit when it needs to be as well. “He’s absolutely incredible at doing that, and we also have a lot of senior pros that help that and lead that on a day-to-day basis. We’ve had a really good core group for a few years now to help do that. “It’s just about making sure that – win, lose or draw – standards remain the same throughout the week with your behaviour in training or around the training ground. “Everything needs to be the same. If it’s not, you’ll be told by one of your team-mates, a member of staff or the manager that it needs to go. “It’s a very, very good place to be for things like that.” It’s important to have something outside of football to distract you when times are tough. Leif Davis has his flight simulator, Jacob Greaves plays golf, Hirst has dogs, recently adopting one from Cyprus. Dogs are an important part of Chaplin’s life too, labelling them as “probably my favourite thing in the world”. After his press conference, he tells me that he has a Staffordshire Bull Terrier that he describes as "gorgeous". Outside of that, he says it's "just family". Chaplin says he's a family man outside of football (Image: Ross Halls) “I’ve got a young one and another one coming soon,” he revealed. “It’s just a lot of dog walks, a lot of family time. It’s the best thing in the world. “I just enjoy that as much as I can and spend as much time with my son as possible. Go on walks, take him swimming. He likes to be outdoors, so whatever we can do outdoors – whether it’s rain or shine – we’ll try to do that.” The quiet moments also give him time to reflect. There’s more time to do that in the Premier League, where the games don’t come as thick and fast as they do lower down the pyramid. His journey to this point has been a long one, even thinking back to his early days in Suffolk, joining as one of the first signings under the new ownership at Ipswich. Chaplin stepped down to join Town - and now he's in the Premier League (Image: Archant) “It was a big decision at the time, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t,” he admitted. “I was at a club that didn’t have loads of ambition and hunger to improve and be better. Ipswich was a club that showed that to me straight away, as soon as I started speaking to them. “It really matched my own personality, my ideas and the way I wanted my career to go. “It was probably a risk in some sense, but speaking to the hierarchy at the club and the manager at the time, it was a club that I knew didn’t want to be there for long and matched my own ambitions. “It was a calculated risk, you could say. “I thought we’d be back in the Championship, maybe in the first season or the second season. It ended up being the second. “After that, I couldn’t have seen it happening this quickly.”