Sideways Sammy

It was a bold call to bring in a first-choice left wing-back ahead of the dependable Jake Bidwell this summer, but Mark Robins has yet to have cause to look back at the decision to add Jay Dasilva to the Coventry City squad. The former Bristol City man hasn’t necessarily been a stand-out performer, but he’s been a reliable option in possession, stretched teams with his pace and ability to beat defenders, and provided some quality in his final ball into the box. Dasilva has integrated into the Sky Blues team seamlessly and it would only be an injury or suspension that would see him drop out of the side.

Jay Dasilva was brought into Coventry City for his attacking qualities from wing-back and has added a touch more dynamism and threat down his side of the pitch compared to last season. Able to rely on his touch, Dasilva’s ability to receive the ball from longer-range passes and immediately start running with it has provided the team with a useful outlet in possession – it has also been helpful when receiving the ball closer to his own goal and being able to wiggle away from opposition pressure. In terms of his final ball, Dasilva has shown intelligence in being able to mix up crosses with playing shorter passes to sustain attacks, but adding more assists and a goal threat is likely to be a target now that he’s settled into the side. Defensively, there have been a couple of goals that have come down Dasilva’s side of the pitch but he hasn’t looked a weakness for opponents to target, allowing him to focus on the attacking side of his game.

It has been a quick integration into the team for Jay Dasilva with barely any teething errors. Perhaps there are weaknesses in his game that will be exposed over time as he faces a wider array of opponents, but the focus for Dasilva should be on how he can add that extra gear to his attacking play to turn himself from a solid outlet into a genuine threat. Without doing anything particularly remarkable in a Coventry City shirt yet, Dasilva has made himself a fixture in the team.