This has been Matt Godden’s most difficult year in a Coventry City shirt. While he is no stranger to injury issues preventing him starting a run of games, the caveat with Godden had always been that he can be relied upon to score when he is available, that goal return has dipped this season. After scoring at a rate of around one in two starts last year, Godden’s return has dropped to nearly one in four. While a return of seven goals from an equivalent of just over 19 full 90-minute periods is respectable, it isn’t quite at a rate to justify the almost automatic starter status that Mark Robins has afforded Godden for much of this season.
Matt Godden’s biggest issue at the moment is a large and Swedish one, he is playing alongside a striker who is much better than him in almost every facet of his game and there appears to be little sign of a relationship between the two of them. Godden’s lower goal return this season can be partially explained by having to take on a supporting role for the best striker currently operating outside of the Premier League, having previously been the man benefitting from the hard work of others. Godden has put in a lot of work this season outside of the penalty area, taking away from his chances to get on the end of things inside of it, however, it is clearly not his strength and can often leave the team hamstrung by having a player on the pitch contributing so little.
With Viktor Gyokeres likely to leave the club over the summer, there is an opportunity for Matt Godden to return that leading man status he is probably best-suited to. However, it would be big risk for the club to entrust such importance to a player who has only once started more than half of the team’s league fixtures in a season. Given that Godden is neither an effective support striker nor fit enough to build a team around, it seems like he would be best-suited for the impact substitute role that Mark Robins has been reticent to utilise him in. Godden is someone who clearly has something to contribute at Coventry City, but not in the role he has been shoehorned following the emergence of Gyokeres.
Sideways Sammy 