Sideways Sammy

A frantic contest where defensive errors were the order of the day saw Coventry City and Watford play out a 3-3 draw.

Coventry City looked the more dangerous side in the first-half and should have been one up when Matt Godden had the chance to score the spot after a handball in the penalty area but saw his effort saved by Daniel Bachmann. Soon after, Watford took the lead with their first shot on target, with Mileta Rajovic heading in a Tom Ince cross.

The Sky Blues were able to take a deserved level score into the break after a Milan van Ewijk free-kick beat Bachmann down lose. However, they were sloppy in coming out in the second -half and were punished with an excellent Matheus Martins finish on the counter-attack for Watford.

The away side looked comfortable at 2-1 up and looked likeliest to score next, they did so but at the wrong end after an inexplicably poor back-pass from Wesley Hoedt beat his own goalkeeper to draw the scores level. Luckily for Watford, Coventry City were charitable from a similar scenario, with an under-hit Bobby Thomas pass back to Ben Wilson under pressure put it on a plate for Vakoun Bayo to set up Mileta Rajovic for his second.

The Sky Blues salvaged a draw late on, when Haji Wright was freed down the right side of the Watford defence and his pull-back found Matt Godden in space to atone for his earlier penalty miss with a thumping finish. The game then became stretched late-on as both teams searched for a late winner, but neither found that moment of quality in a game defined by inexplicable mistakes.

Quick-Thinking Front Three Dangerous In Transition

While two of Coventry City’s three goals in this game came from a direct free-kick and a comedy own goal, encouragement can be taken from the performance of the front three of Kasey Palmer operating just behind Haji Wright and Matt Godden. The trio looked particularly dangerous in moments of quick transition, which may be somewhat at odds with the slower passing style the team has looked to adopt this season, giving City teeth up front that they had lacked last time out.

One of the key reasons why Coventry City were so willing and able to get the ball forward early in this game, particularly in the first-half, was because of how Watford approached the game. The Hornets were intense in the press but were also looking to build out from the back, this meant that they played a high defensive line and committed players forward, leaving space in their defensive third for Kasey Palmer, Haji Wright and Matt Godden to take advantage of on the turnover.

In particular, Kasey Palmer and Haji Wright really seemed to relish being able to play with just the one or two defenders to hold off and space to run into. The two combine mobility and close control with physicality in order to be able to shield the ball in the challenge before bursting past opposing defenders. With Matt Godden supporting them ably with a decent shift in challenging defenders himself and getting into space to benefit from Palmer and Wright’s running with the ball, the quicker the Sky Blues could get the ball into their front three in this game, the better.

The third goal demonstrated what this front three might be capable of if they click. Haji Wright was released down the right wing, muscling off Ryan Porteous to create the space to drive towards the byline, before picking out Matt Godden, who had timed a late run to perfection to meet the pull-back and finish with aplomb. There were further similar situations throughout the game, with Kasey Palmer heavily involved too, but this was the moment where it clicked and is hopefully something Mark Robins can start to build this team around.

Going Nowhere With Possession

Where Coventry City struggled attacking-wise in this game was in the slower moments, where Watford dropped off in their press and asked the Sky Blues to find a way to play through them that they were unable to. This was particularly notable at 2-1 down in the second-half where the onus for creativity came down to the midfield and was where they were found wanting for a second week in a row.

If the ambition is to become a possession-based side, this is the kind of situation that this team is going to have to improve on as slower build-up play allows opposing defences to sit in and mark the team’s forwards. With Watford packing the centre of the pitch and blocking passing lanes into the strikers, Coventry City needed to make better use of width.

In terms of individuals, Josh Eccles had a bit of a sloppy game with the ball, struggling the most with Watford’s press. While Ben Sheaf did a much better job receiving the ball under pressure and moving it quickly forward or out wide, when the Hornets dropped off, this should have been when the midfielder looked to open up the play in the manner he has the ability but seems to lack the vision to.

Furthermore, the centre-backs also struggled to switch the play quickly and accurately. Kyle McFadzean has played the odd good switching pass in recent weeks, but both he and the players either side of him need to do it more often to avoid the Sky Blues getting stuck against a low opposition block. That is easier said than done, particularly when the opponent in this game was a Watford side that was so energetic and quick on the turnover.

Fortunately, Coventry City were gifted a leveller at 2-1 down and were later able to get the ball into Haji Wright more quickly than they had been able to for much of the second-half leading up to the third goal. It is going to take work, and perhaps slightly different personnel, for this side to become more dangerous with longer spells of possession, there is maybe even a question as to whether this team is better off with the quicker, more direct style that had worked last year.

The Defence Gets Scrambled

This was not a good afternoon for Coventry City’s back three, a unit that had yet to concede at the CBS Arena this season and had generally looked pretty unruffled in the process of doing so. Each of the goals conceded demonstrated different aspects of disorganisation, which will provide Mark Robins and his coaching staff with food for thought over the international break.

The first goal saw Bobby Thomas and Joel Latibeaudiere swapped around as a result of phase of play following an opposing corner. That was perhaps why Thomas looked a hesitant on his opposite side closing Tom Ince down before the winger’s cross curled over Latibeaudiere’s head, allowing Mileta Rajpvic to open the scoring for Watford. It was a situation that can either be avoided or mitigated by time on the training pitch to allow the back three to organise in phases of play after set-pieces.

For the second goal, Kyle McFadzean was caught up the pitch after attempting and failing to win a a challenge in the opposing half. That left the rest of the back-line stretched and it was again up to Bobby Thomas to win a challenge in an unfavourable south on against a quick and skilful opposing forward. The resulting finish from Matheus Martins was excellent, but that difficulty in covering or McFadzean pushing up the pitch is a concern because that could happen a lot if the Sky Blues continue to play a high defensive line with a 36 year old at the heart of the back three.

Watford’s final goal was a calamity, pure and simple. From a Coventry City goal-kick, the opposition were intense in the press, forcing the Sky Blues back into in their own penalty area. However, that doesn’t quite forgive a woefully weak attempted back-pass from Bobby Thomas that hung Ben Wilson out to dry, allowing Vakoun Bayo to tee Mileta Rajovic to finish into an open goal. To avoid that will take time to fully learn the decision-making process when building from the back and how to avoid falling into pressing traps.

At this phase of the season, mistakes are understandable as players develop an understanding with their new teammates. The mistakes made in this game weren’t because Kyle McFadzean, Bobby Thomas and Joel Latibeaudiere are bad players but because they haven’t had much time together to develop as a unit. The profession of a defender is not to avoid making mistakes entirely but to learn from them and improve, that is the task for the Sky Blues trio over these next two weeks.