Everyone is obviously disappointed with Saturdays 2-1 loss to Cardiff but some would argue that apart from a couple mistakes it was a good performance.

Ipswich were impressive at times and controlled the game and this has been the case in a few games this season. The tractor boys were decent at times against Brighton, Wolves, Barnsley and Cardiff but in those four games they only picked up two points.

From these performances it is clear that the team do have some quality so it makes you think; where is it all going wrong?

There are two obvious main problems. First of all, really basic mistakes at the back have cost the team so many points already this season. It is amazing how the defence can do everything right for 99.9% of the game but a two second lapse of concentration can cost the team so much.

Looking back at almost every Ipswich game this season you soon realise that on the whole the defence do look solid. However, you also realise that most of the goals the team concede are due to these really minor moments when one or two players switch off momentarily.

The good news is that this is something that can be fixed without having to rip apart the whole team. It is something Paul Jewell should be able to cut down on in training sessions but whether this will actually happen is another matter.

The second part of Ipswich's poor form has been due to the team not being clinical enough in front of goal. It says it all that the only goal they managed to score against Cardiff was deflected into the back of the net off the hands of an on loan striker. The only reason he scored in the first place was because instead of going up for a header he cowered away and somehow the ball rolled in after hitting his hands.

It is fair to say that with a bit more concentration Ipswich wouldn't have conceded the two goals that they did in that game but you do have to ask what was going on up front? When you dominate a large period of a game you would expect to score at least two goals during that dominant spell. Ipswich are failing to do this and it is costing them just as many points as their defence is.

Although his goal was pretty lucky, the addition of DJ Campbell should help the team become more clinical in front of goal. He looked like Ipswich's most dangerous player against Cardiff so chances are, he will get a few goals during his loan spell.

The main problem is that the team are lacking a lot of confidence and at times the tactics aren't working. Jewell needs to take the team back to the basics and cut out the silly errors before trying to do much else. Once they are staying solid at the back they can work on what they need to do at the other end of the pitch.

Hopefully we won't see the same mistakes again from Ipswich but chances are it will be a while before anyone can expect to see a significant improvement.

 [ad_pod id='writer-1' align='right']