Ipswich Town midfielder Jack Taylor can feel the difference between the Premier League and the Championship, although he’s confident that his side will soon click as they continue to search for their first win of the season.
The Blues have drawn four and lost four of their eight games so far, leaving them on a higher points total than Wolves, Southampton and Crystal Palace. However, it’s clear that the top flight poses a totally different challenge to what they’ve faced before.
Taylor is yet to earn his maiden start at the level but has made a number of appearances off the bench. It’s given him a proper taste of what it’s like to play against the best players in the world, which is a huge step up from playing in League One just 18 months ago.
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“Tactically, positionally, it’s another level. Things like that,” he said.
“As long as we get it right – the way the boss wants us to play, on and off the ball – we’ll definitely be fine.”
Asked whether the nature of the Premier League means that he feels himself improving on a weekly basis, the 26-year-old replied: “It naturally happens with the coaching staff and the players we’ve brought into the building. You’re either going to get left behind or you’re going to go with them.
“Everyone’s pulling their weight.”
The magnitude of the league is another difference that Taylor has been getting used to, given that the bulk of his playing experience has come at the lower end of the football pyramid.
He’s aware that all eyes are on him at this level, where he’s playing in some of the biggest and most famous stadiums in the Europe.
“You do get some big attendances in League One, so it’s not alien, but we’re all professional enough to understand that the job’s in our hands,” the Republic of Ireland international explained.
“We’re going to go to tough places this year, but people won’t want to come to Portman Road.
“We’ll want to make that impression on other teams – that they’re not going to have an easy game, especially at Portman Road.
“The stadiums you go to, this is the biggest stage in the world. You’ve got to be ready for it.”
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