Sideways Sammy

The addition of Jay Dasilva at left wing-back had been mooted as far back as last January. As a result, Jake Bidwell’s days as a first-choice Coventry City player had been looking numbered. Aided by the shift to a back four, which suited Bidwell’s stronger physical qualities over Dasilva, the left-back has been one of several reasons why the team’s form has improved over the last couple of months. Despite being a player that Mark Robins seemingly wanted to move on from due to his lack of flair, it has been just that quality that has allowed Bidwell to re-establish himself in the starting XI.

The reason the team seemingly moved on from Jake Bidwell had been that, as a wing-back, his lack of ability to beat opponents one-against-one limited the team’s attacking threat on the left side. While Bidwell was capable of putting in decent crosses, he required other players to help him get in crossing positions, which slowed down the team’s attacking play. As a full-back, Bidwell benefits from having an option ahead of him to combine with to get up the pitch more quickly. Additionally, Bidwell’s defensive qualities have become more important as the lack of a centre-back behind him means he is more responsible for snuffing out opposing attacks down his side of the pitch. Bidwell’s ability to keep things tight on the left side has proven to be an especially important platform for record-signing Haji Wright to find form as the team’s left-sided forward.

With the move to a back four looking set to stay for the foreseeable future, Jake Bidwell looks pretty much nailed-on as the first choice at left-back. Aside from injury, the one thing that Bidwell may have to be wary of is if the team maintains its current strong run of form, opponents will then be likely to set up more defensively against Coventry City more often, which could, once again, put his lack of attacking dynamism under the microscope. Being able to have someone who can slot in so seamlessly at left-back has aided the team in its quest for form over the past month, but there may come a time soon where more is expected of Jake Bidwell than being a steady performer.