Sideways Sammy

When Liam Kitching arrived at the club, for a reportedly significant fee, on summer transfer deadline day, there were doubts as to why Coventry City were willing to shell out to that extent for a centre-back who’d yet to prove himself at the Championship level and with transfer priorities in other positions. Carrying an injury in his first weeks at the club, it has taken time for Liam Kitching to get into the team, and after some relatively underwhelming early appearances, the former Barnsley man has really started to show his quality as a defender, a ball-player, and a leader at the back for the Sky Blues. Excelling since the team moved to a back four in November, Kitching is looking like an increasingly classy performer and one of the team’s best players.

Brought in to play on the left of the back three, Liam Kitching showed some promise early on in that role with his ability to carry the ball out of defence and pick passes into the attack. However, that adventurousness came with the caveat of leaving the team open on the counter, a particular issue with Kyle McFadzean’s lack of pace to cover. Since moving to a back four, Liam Kitching has excelled in a more disciplined defensive role, tending to mop up behind the more aggressive Bobby Thomas, with his pace and timing in the challenge proving valuable in covering situations. While he has less license to join the attack as part of a centre-back pairing, some of Liam Kitching’s passing and occasional darts forward have shone through and provided the team with another source of composure on the ball to build attacks with. With an aura of calmness to his game, Kitching is a defender with plenty of strings to his bow.

Aside from that somewhat rocky start, it has been pretty much plain sailing for Liam Kitching in a Coventry City shirt. He has been a key reason why the defence has been able to evolve away from requiring Kyle McFadzean’s presence to bail them out and is someone who looks capable of leading for many years to come. There will surely be some challenges along the way to test just how well Liam Kitching can maintain his impressive early form at the club, but he is a signing who has improved the team and provides a platform to build around over the next few years.