Defeat at home to West Bromwich Albion on Monday night has turned a couple of bas results into a genuinely worrying run of form. It’s three defeats in a row without scoring, with the team’s last goal being an own goal scored in the Norwich City match before the international break. 20th in the table and just six points above the relegation zone, having played a game more than Rotherham United, things need to improve soon or this could spell could define the season.
This run leaves Coventry City heading to Preston North End, a place they have never won a league match in, needing to pick up a win. Taking that record out of the equation, this is a clash with another out-of-form side that is probably one of the best opportunities to get to winning ways that the Sky Blues are going to get this month. Putting that record back into the equation, ending this run at Deepdale would go a long way to reversing the current sentiment around this side.
Expected Line-Up
There will be understandable pressure on Mark Robins heading into this game to make swingeing changes in order to address this poor run of form. However, this team hasn’t been that far away from taking results, having largely been in control of the past three games but struggled after falling behind. The key decision for the manager heading into an away trip is whether to back his team to continue playing in the manner they have been and get that crucial opening goal to allow the confidence to hopefully flow or go for a belt and braces approach to focus on keeping a clean sheet that would guarantee some kind of result in this game.
The focus heading into this match is surely on the defence, which will provide a strong indication as to which way Mark Robins is leaning with this side. If the team wants to continue to play in a positive manner, now may be the time to take Kyle McFadzean out of the starting line-up so that a higher defensive line can be deployed. If the plan is to revert to a defensive approach to eke out some points, McFadzean will stay in and possibly both wing-backs will be replaced with Joel Latibeaudiere on the right and Jake Bidwell on the left – although Latibeaudiere may end up playing at right centre-back here as the manager seems to have trust issues with Bobby Thomas.
The other key team selection decision to keep an eye on is Ben Wilson’s position in goal after a sloppy piece of handling against West Bromwich Albion on Monday night led to the game’s crucial opening goal. While Brad Collins could well be a more suitable goalkeeper for what this team wants to be than Ben Wilson, that mistake against West Bromwich Albion was Wilson’s only notable mistake in over a year and it would be harsh not to give him an opportunity to learn from it. Furthermore, if the plan here is to revert to a more defensive approach, Wilson showed last season he can do a good job in that role as the goalkeeper, while Collins is far more comfortable as a ‘sweeper keeper’ behind a high defensive line, rather than having to make big saves and claim crosses.
In terms of the attacking side of the team, Haji Wright, Jamie Allen and Tatushiro Sakamoto deserve another go as the front three players after a decent showing against West Bromwich Albion in their first game together. Given that neither Ellis Simms nor Matt Godden offer much chasing balls into channels and bringing others into play, Wright is probably the best striker for the job of playing on their own away from home – although, he has struggled to impose himself on defenders in the manner he will have to do here to give the team a release valve out of defence.
Last Time We Met
Coventry City were on a good run of form heading into their trip to Preston North End towards the end of February this year. The important thing to note, however, was that the match was being played at Deepdale, so that run of form counted for nothing. In truth, the Sky Blues were exhausted in the middle of a congested stretch of fixtures and showed that on the pitch, struggling to get into a rhythm and ultimately pretty lucky not to come away with a defeat with Tom Cannon up front for Preston causing all sorts of problems for Kyle McFadzean but unable to get his team a goal.
The Opposition
The Manager – Ryan Lowe
Despite challenging for the play-offs until the final weeks of last season and starting this new campaign strongly, opinions about Ryan Lowe from Preston North End fans remain mixed. The manager had arrived at the club around two years ago with a reputation for playing positive, attacking football but has largely focused on the defending at Deepdale, perhaps due to the available resources than out of preference – although, not taking his assistant and current Plymouth Argyle manager, Steven Schumacher, may also be a key factor in Lowe’s approach at Preston. Combined with a pretty prickly attitude to even mild criticism, Lowe has largely had to rely on results rather than his brand of football or charisma to keep fans onside.
This season has encapsulated both the positive and negative sides of Ryan Lowe’s Preston North End. Being able to defend well and running hot at the other end in terms of converting chances led to a string of early results to put North End in the top six places, however, those points were not built on the foundation of positive, dominant performances which is why their form has subsequently tailed off.
Who To Look Out For?
Preston North End continue to do fairly well to be competitive in the Championship with a low-to-middling budget for the division. The departures of key creator, Daniel Johnson, and key scorer, Tom Cannon, over the summer could have been a hammer blow for most teams of Preston’s status at this level, but they have replaced the duo effectively via the combination of wingers Duane Holmes and Liam Millar, attacking midfielder, Mads Frokjaer-Jensen, and strikers, Will Keane and Milutin Osmajic, showing that bringing in an array of effective contributors can be a good way to replace star players in this division.
Holmes and Millar provide the team with a good combination of industry and pace in wide areas, with Holmes capable of contributing from a central position too. Frokjaer-Jensen was the most expensive addition to the mix, capable of eluding defenders in tight areas from a number ten role and supplying an end product afterwards. Meanwhile, the experienced, Will Keane, looks a smart addition on a free transfer from Wigan Athletic, a tall striker who can drop between the lines to link the play while providing a presence in the penalty area to round things off. That has allowed Osmajic, recruited from Cadiz after a loan spell in Portugal last season, to be able to find his feet in England and chip in with the odd goal either off the bench or as an occasional starter.
Having those attacking contributors is useful for Preston North End, but their strength as a team remains in their defensive organisation, physicality and work-rate off the ball. With tyros like Alan Browne, Ryan Ledson, Ben Whiteman and Ali McCann in midfield, that provides the platform for Liam Lindsay and Jordan Storey to produce solid defensive performances. When teams can get through North End’s defensive resilience, they can then rely upon Freddie Woodman in goal to make big saves to keep clean sheets and points ticking over.
Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost
Preston North End are a strong defensive side but also rank as one of the more intense pressing teams in the division too. On their own turf, Coventry City should expect their opponents to look to impose themselves on them and break up any rhythm the Sky Blues may look to find in possession. That may well suggest that the best approach here may be to revert to a low-risk defensive style and ask a Preston side that struggles to create chances to try and break Coventry down, hoping that there might then be a few moments at the other end to grab a goal that the home side could struggle to recover from.
The danger with going with a defensive approach is that Preston North End have physical strikers and attacking players, most notably, Will Keane, who could cause havoc attacking the crosses in the box that are likely to come from Coventry City sitting back and looking to defend their penalty area. Additionally, there is a question as to whether the Sky Blues have players who are effective on the counter-attack, with a lot resting in attack on Haji Wright being able to get change out of a pretty unforgiving Preston back line with little support from the players around him.
All things considered, Coventry City probably are better off here focusing on the clean sheet first and foremost because of Preston’s combination of a strong defence and creative issues meaning that a more positive approach from the Sky Blues may see them hit a brick wall against the home side and leave opportunities for their opponents to nick a goal on the counter and sit on their lead comfortably.
Sideways Sammy 