Sideways Sammy

After a tentative start to his time at Coventry City, Milan van Ewijk has eased off the handbrake and started to show the quality that tempted the club into signing him. Van Ewijk has been another beneficiary of the move to a back four, looking far more comfortable both defensively and going forward at right-back rather than right wing-back. While it still feels that he has another gear or two to step up into, Van Ewijk is looking confident and content in his current role and looks to be in a good position to develop further into his time at the club.

Milan van Ewijk’s stand-out attribute is undoubtedly his pace. Going forward, he has the ability to leave opponents in the dust, adding that extra gear to the team’s attacking play that can be devastating. However, it has been in defence where Van Ewijk’s pace has been more valuable, allowing the back-line to push up, knowing that the right-back can quickly drop back to cover. Milan Van Ewijk isn’t just a pace merchant, matching it with an excellent touch and close control that allows him to beat defenders in tight areas, and he also uses the ball well to link up with his teammates, especially Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, down the right side of the pitch.

Where Milan van Ewijk can improve is in his end product, with there still being that touch of tentativeness that marked his first ten or so games for the club. In particular, Van Ewijk doesn’t look particularly confident in his crossing ability and will either allow opportunities to cross pass him by or balloon in balls that have little chance of reaching anyone. That looks to be a specific area for Milan van Ewijk to target, otherwise, he has been one of the stand-outs among the club’s summer transfer business and perhaps the next on the production line onto bigger and better things.