Sideways Sammy

The transfer window is closed, (most of) the players will have had just under a two week rest, this Coventry City side now has the opportunity to settle down and forge itself into a cohesive unit. After just one loss but only one win so far, these next few fixtures should be when more definitive judgements as to what this team is immediately capable of.

Getting that next win as soon as possible, especially a first away win, will ease any early anxiety that this Sky Blues side is not on track in this early stage of its foundation. In the way is a Hull City side that have found both a playing identity and ability to get results early in on the campaign, making this another test in what has been a pretty tricky start to the season for Coventry City in terms of opposition strength.

Expected Line-Up

The biggest selection concern heading into this game is whether Kasey Palmer and Joel Latibeaudiere will be available for selection after participating for Jamaica on Wednesday morning (UK time), with it not clear whether they will have returned to the country soon enough to be in contention here. In typical fashion, Mark Robins has been tight-lipped over whether the duo will be available but it is hard to see how the logistics will work out for them to be involved here.

Were Kasey Palmer not to be available, Tatsuhiro Sakamoto will probably take his place in the role just behind the two strikers. That is because the other candidate, Yasin Ayari, was also on international duty, meaning that he hasn’t had the time on the training ground that he probably needs right now to integrate into the team. Ayari would at least be one of the few players available from the bench capable of changing the game later on.

In defence, Joel Latibeaudiere’s potential absence limits Mark Robins’ ability to re-organise following the poor showing at the back against Watford last time out. That’s probably good news for Bobby Thomas, who was most at fault for each of the Hornets’ goals having looked pretty good in a Coventry City shirt prior to that. It likely leaves the manager having to make a call between Luis Binks or Liam Kitching to fill the vacant spot on the left side of the defence.

As the big money signing, integrating Liam Kitching as early as possible will surely be a priority for Mark Robins, the question is whether the reported injury he picked up in his final weeks at Barnsley was a genuine knock or a case of I-want-to-join-Coventry-City-itis that has been cured by joining Coventry City. If it’s the former, then Luis Binks will come in for his debut for the club.

Elsewhere, there are few options to change the starting XI up, highlighting that this team probably needs at least another window before it will have genuine strength in depth. The only area of interest is who starts in attack, with Ellis Simms and Haji Wright continuing to be rotated as Matt Godden’s strike partner. Hopefully, the indication of some kind of relationship forming between Wright and Godden will allow that partnership to settle down, leaving Ellis Simms having to carve out some form from the bench.

Last Time We Met

It wasn’t a hugely memorable game back in March when Coventry City and Hull City played out a 1-1 draw. The Sky Blues were the better side in the first-half but couldn’t find a way through to goal, before Hull’s Oscar Estupinan belted in a wonderful finish just after half-time which meant that four out of the 13 league goals the Colombian scored for the Tigers were against Coventry.

With the lead in hand, Hull City looked well-set to wait for counter-attacking opportunities to kill the game off, and probably should have done so on a couple of occasions. However, Viktor Gyokeres went on an extended period of refusing to have the ball taken off him around the penalty area, which eventually saw him set up Matt Godden for an excellent near-post finish to earn the Sky Blues a share of the points.

The Opposition

The Manager – Liam Rosenior

After spending the second half of last season to get his feet under the desk in what is his first proper managerial role – with an earlier spell at Derby County being a strange not quite permanent, not quite temporary job – Liam Rosenior has sorted out what was a pretty messy squad at Hull City and got the team playing with a clear sense of style. A manager who likes his teams to build very deliberately from the back, only Southampton and Leicester City play more passes than Rosenior’s Tigers.

Like Coventry City, Hull City haven’t lost since the opening day, however, the Tigers have picked up the habit of winning games, including a statement result last time out in defeating Leicester City at the King Power Stadium. Confidence is high and Hull are likely to look to hoard possession in their home stadium in order to suffocate the Sky Blues.

Who To Look Out For?

It is the engine room in midfield and defence that is key for Hull City. Dictated by one-time Barcelona transfer target, Jean Michael Seri, at the base of midfield and with a centre-back pairing of Alfie Jones and Jacob Greaves that are comfortable receiving and distributing the ball, Hull have the ability to either play around the opposition press or to drag them across the pitch if they sit back, aided by the overlapping runs of full-backs, Lewie Coyle and Ruben Vinagre.

Further forward, Hull City have some talented players who are slowly clicking into an effective unit. Attacking midfielder, Adama Traore (not the former Wolves winger) has excellent close control and can commit defenders in the final third to open up space for his team-mates. Scott Twine’s ability to strike a ball from both open play and set-pieces is another big danger, with the Burnley loanee potentially one of the best attacking midfield players in the Championship if he can get a run of 15-20 games without injury. The recent signing of the pacey dribbler, Jaden Philogene, from Aston Villa provides the Tigers with another gear to find in attack.

In terms of strikers, Hull City have two players, in Aaron Connolly and Liam Delap, who have started the season in good form. The nippy Connolly looks to have found a home under Liam Rosenior’s management having looked a bright prospect in his younger days at Brighton & Hove Albion before a couple of disappointing loan moves elsewhere. Delap, on loan from Manchester City, had shown flickers in loan spells at other clubs with his physicality and technical ability but looks to be finding consistency at Hull, even proving effective from a wide role against Leicester City last time out.

Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost

Coventry City have started the season with a clear commitment to play out from the back in a move to become the kind of possession-based team that Hull City are. The question heading into this game is whether Mark Robins stays committed to that as part of a process to build this team into the one he wants to see, or alters the approach to counter Hull’s likely dominance of the ball and to target their weakness on the break.

Furthermore, there have been indications recently that this new Sky Blues team might be more effective deploying a more direct counter-attacking style than they’ve looked to utilise. Haji Wright and Kasey Palmer really seem to relish running at stretched opposing defenders, which has created space for Matt Godden to get in scoring positions, while Milan van Ewijk and Jay Dasilva can get up the pitch quickly to support those breaks. Hull will commit players forward as they look to dominate the game and there should be opportunities to counter that when they lose the ball.

It will be important to slow down Jean Michael Seri for Hull City when he gets on the ball as he can pick defences apart when he has time to do so and is a key part in how his team looks to move from back to front. Doing so will also create opportunities on the counter-attack.

Additionally, the line of three behind the centre-forward in Hull City’s 4-2-3-1 formation will test the organisation and discipline of Coventry City’s back three. Players like Jaden Philogene and Adama Traore can commit and drag defenders out of position with their dribbling ability in tight areas, which will create space elsewhere for others to get in scoring positions. This is a situation where staying in shape will be more important than making big tackles.