Sideways Sammy

A late, late goal conceded against Swansea City denied the Sky Blues the opportunity to make it a perfect festive period and to put them within sight of the play-offs heading into the new year. Instead, they face a testing trip to Middlesbrough with a few key players needing a rest, which could put paid to hopes of further forward progress.

The opposition for this New Year’s Day fixture are a Middlesbrough side who have rallied strongly after a similar sticky start to the season as the Sky Blues endured. For the Teessiders, the opportunity to right the wrongs of last season’s play-off semi-final defeat on this ground is likely to provide ample motivation. This looks set to be a test of Coventry City’s fighting mentality.

Expected Line-Up

With key players such as Milan van Ewijk, Jake Bidwell, and Callum O’Hare rotated out of the starting line-up for the draw against Swansea City, Mark Robins should be able to name a relatively strong side for this game. However, there are still a handful of players who have started all three of the prior festive fixtures who may be in need of a respite here to avoid risk of injury., most notably, Haji Wright and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto.

The concern with taking both of Wright and Sakamoto out of the starting line-up is that there simply aren’t alternative wingers to replace them. Jay Dasilva, Milan van Ewijk, Callum O’Hare and Kasey Palmer have all been used out wide at various points of this season but to limited effectiveness. O’Hare and Palmer are probably the closest options to give Coventry City that ball-carrying ability up front that will be needed to provide a threat in this game, but they may end up floating into central areas, which will provide a different kind of aspect to the Sky Blues’ attacking play.

If Coventry are looking to turn this game into a battle, a combative midfield three of Ben Sheaf, Josh Eccles and Joel Latibeaudiere would be the go-to here. The trio were effective in slowing down a talented Leeds United side in the centre of the pitch two weeks ago, although a concern is whether that invites Middlesbrough onto them a little too much.

Elsewhere, Jake Bidwell’s return at left-back looks certain after an unconvincing display from Jay Dasilva last time out, with Milan van Ewijk set to be deployed on the right after taking a breather for the Swansea City game. Bidwell’s return could well be especially important in the absence of Liam Kitching, adding some leadership at the back to steer the team through a short period without one of their key defensive figures.

Last Time We Met

With both teams heavily changed since May’s play-off semi final contest, Mark Robins underlined the tactical advantage he appears to have over Michael Carrick in the respective managerial dug-outs with a convincing final result at the CBS Arena back in August. There wasn’t much between the two sides in terms of possession of chances in a game that took place hours after the confirmation of Gustavo Hamer’s departure to Sheffield United, however, an early poacher’s effort from Matt Godden allowed the home side to get their noses in front against a profligate Middlesbrough side.

After Boro missed some decent openings early in the second-half, a snapshot from Haji Wright after the ball fell to him in the penalty area from a corner-kick killed off the away side’s prospects. A late own goal from a Matt Godden cross added gloss to the final scoreline of what had largely been a pretty even contest.

The Opposition

The Manager – Michael Carrick

After an almost perfect start to his managerial career on Teesside last year, former England international, Michael Carrick went through a tough period at the end of last season and starting this one with teams seeming to figure out how to counter his teams by sitting back, letting them run out of ideas in attack and hitting them on the counter. Some late summer signings and a few tactical tweaks have helped Carrick prove that last year’s run to the play-offs was no fluke, with Middlesbrough developing some new strategies and combinations to find some form and push towards the top six.

The general plan of dominating possession and looking to play quickly into the front four players remains in place for Carrick’s Middlesbrough, but there are more moving parts to keep opponents guessing. What is so impressive about the team’s current form is that it has been achieved despite a horror run of injuries, with the only blemish being a defeat at Rotherham where Boro battered the home side and conceded from a deflected cross.

Who To Look Out For?

Middlesbrough have several options in attacking midfield areas that all proved something different from one another. The key trio that Michael Carrick has tended to turn to is the rapid Isaiah Jones out wide, the pacey and intelligent Morgan Rogers through the middle and Leeds United loanee, Sam Greenwood on the other flank to provide another playmaker with some mobility about them. With fitness likely a concern here over the festive period, don’t be surprised to see the Australian playmaker, Riley McGree come into the side to freshen things up.

In central midfield, the veteran, Jonny Howson remains a key cog in Michael Carrick’s system for his ability to break play up in front of the defence, although, he might be in need of a rest given the fixture list. Daniel Barlaser’s passing range at the base of the midfield could well be a big danger in this game, especially if Coventry City look to sit off in order to try and hit their opponents on the counter.

At the back, Dael Fry is a high-class performer and leader in the middle, with the mobile, ball-playing, Rav van den Berg his partner. In goal, Australian Tom Glover has been forced to step after an injury to first-choice, Seny Dieng, and has proved a solid option.

Where The Game Will Be Won or Lost

It seems likely that Coventry City will set up here to try and hit Middlesbrough on the counter, which they have done successfully in the two previous encounters with Michael Carrick’s side. The concern here is whether they can carry a big enough threat on the break if either or both of Tatsuhiro Sakamoto and Haji Wright are on the bench for the majority of the contest. While the defence has shown it can soak up pressure, having that release valve up front will be important, with Callum O’Hare and Kasey Palmer looking set to have an important role to play in that regard over the first hour or so of this contest.

If the plan is to sit back, the organisation of the defence will be important, with Luis Binks probably set to face his biggest test as a defender during his time with the club. A concern with allowing Middlesbrough time on the ball is if deep playmakers like Daniel Barlaser and Rav van den Berg are given too much time to pick defence-splitting passes, which is what happened with Matt Grimes for Swansea City in the last game. The defensive solidity that Jake Bidwell provides at left-back and the pace of Milan van Ewijk on the right, may be able to snuff out danger from balls over the top.