After an injury-hit first year at Championship-level, this season has provided a truer indication of what Michael Rose is capable of in a higher division. Part of the rotation of the four senior centre-backs the club has, Rose has had a handful of stand-out appearances this year where he has threatened to emerge as the best in the position Coventry City currently have. However, a tendency to switch-off every few games or so has meant that Rose hasn’t established himself as the automatic first-choice centre-back for this team that he probably has the talent to be.
Compared to the other centre-backs that Coventry City have, Michael Rose’s strongest asset is his passing. That ability to step forward out of defence and play the ball 30 yards up the pitch helps the team stretch opponents, but that skill of Rose’s hasn’t quite been used to its full potential. As a defender, Rose has shown that he can be a solid presence but has rarely completely dominated opponents. When allied with that tendency to lose concentration, Rose has yet to earn the trust from his manager to start a long run of games at this level when everyone has been fit at centre-back.
While he has his weaknesses, Michael Rose is more than adequate for Coventry City’s needs. There remains the potential for Rose to iron out the deficiencies in his game and become a stand-out player in his position. Maybe that would come if Mark Robins entrusted him with longer runs in the team than he has had over the past two years. However, with competition for places at centre-back likely to remain strong, if not stronger, next year, it will be up to Michael Rose to make himself undroppable for Coventry City.
Sideways Sammy 