Sideways Sammy

Coventry City’s comfortable victory over Maidstone United on Monday night was to be expected but it could well prove a useful confidence boost in the wake of the horror show against Preston North End that preceded it. Thoughts about a possible Wembley trip via the FA Cup can be shelved for the next few weeks as the focus returns to the league, starting with an important trip to 5th-placed West Bromwich Albion, where a win would guarantee the Sky Blues would return to within three points of the top six.

The Hawthorns has rarely been a happy hunting ground for Coventry City, with their last victory in that particular part of the Black Country having come in 2007, the only league victory there in just under 40 years. However, if the Sky Blues are to achieve something this season, pulling off these kind of history-defying results is the sort of thing that will go a long way towards that end goal. Making the play-offs isn’t supposed to be easy.

Expected Line-Up

There really shouldn’t be much read into individual performances, or the team’s as a whole, against a sixth-tier outfit on Monday night. The major positive is that there no-one appeared to pick up any further injuries, although, Haji Wright was taken off at half-time having limped off the pitch slightly. That means that Mark Robins can go with as close to a first-choice team as is possible right now for this game, although, what that XI is and even what shape they are in isn’t exactly set in stone.

With Brad Collins having missed the Maidstone United game through illness, Ben Wilson was handed a reprieve in goal after his culpability in the Preston North End debacle. The question heading into this game is whether Collins walks back into the team as first-choice, provided he is fully recovered.

The player who boosted their prospects of regular football the most on Monday night was Liam Kelly, who came in to play the adult role in midfield that Joel Latibeaudiere and Josh Eccles have fallen short of in the absence of Ben Sheaf. After around five months out of the team through injury and being out of favour, a full 90 minutes proved Kelly’s fitness, although, he faces a more significant challenge here than against a part-time team last time out.

As for the rest of the team, Mark Robins looks to be seriously considering a switch to a back three, having ended the last two games in the shape. With Tatsuhiro Sakamoto injured, Haji Wright’s fitness heading into this game of some doubt and Fabio Tavares only really looking to be a placeholder as a winger, the lack of wide options makes the switch tempting. Based on a second-half against Preston North End where the team created basically nothing and a final 20 minutes against non-league opposition with nothing left in the tank, making the switch here away from home against a key play-off rival would be bold, but the manager might not have that much choice.

The key factor in a potential switch to a back three is probably Haji Wright’s fitness. While his knock against Maidstone United didn’t look too serious, with a game coming up the following Tuesday, Mark Robins cannot really afford to lose the American for any length of time and may take the precaution here and leave him out of the starting line-up in order to experiment with a new, old shape.

Should the switch be made, expect Joel Latibeaudiere to be used in the middle of Bobby Thomas and Liam Kitching at the back. Liam Kelly and Victor Torp will probably be paired in central midfield, although, the latter’s fitness needs to be managed after a recent knock. The move could allow Callum O’Hare and Kasey Palmer to be deployed in the central attacking area at the same time, hopefully, providing service for the in-form Ellis Simms, aided by Milan van Ewijk being encouraged to push into advanced areas from right wing-back.

Last Time We Met

There is pretty much one rule when it comes to facing teams managed by Carlos Corberan, don’t concede the first goal, which Coventry City failed to pay heed to. The killer opener at the CBS Arena back in November came when Ben Wilson could only parry a powerful Nathaniel Chalobah effort from outside the penalty area in the 17th minute, with Grady Diangana swiftly picking up on the loose ball to fire home from close range. From then on, the Sky Blues could only labour a response against West Bromwich Albion’s resolute defensive phalanx.

That resistance was broken early after half-time, when a delightful Ben Sheaf through ball deceived the Baggies defence to send Haji Wright clean through on goal. However, the striker fired narrowly wide to maintain the away side’s lead. Soon after, Kyle McFadzean’s lack of pace was brutally exposed by a ball in behind to allow Brandon Thomas-Asante all the time in the world to kill the game off with a powerful, composed finish.

The Opposition

The Manager – Carlos Corberan

The Spaniard has developed a reputation as a ruthlessly effective defensive organiser, having first led Huddersfield Town to a play-off final with a meagre budget and then taking a West Bromwich Albion side in financial meltdown off-the-pitch towards a top six challenge last year and building on that this year with a place in those vaunted positions for much of the campaign. With a takeover of the club having been completed, Carlos Corberan looks to have shepherded the club through some dicey waters expertly and can now look forward to better times in the years to follow, possibly involving Premier League football.

This West Bromwich Albion team are experts in protecting their own penalty area, with the third-best defensive record in the division, which is reflected in also having the third-fewest open play shots and Expected Goals conceded. Going forward, the Baggies are less remarkable, ranking around mid-to-lower-mid table for shots and Expected Goals created, but when they can so reliably keep opponents out, they do not need to be free flowing at the other end.

Who To Look Out For?

Having lost just one of their last six games since the closure of the January transfer window, Carlos Corberan used the limited resources available to him well to re-jig the team slightly to bolster the team’s attacking threat. The key tweak has been the introduction of wingers, Mikey Johnston (on loan from Celtic) and Tom Fellows (who has recently broken into the team via the academy) to provide directness and cutting edge on the counter. The duo have scored four goals and provided one assist between them in the past six games, a crucial contribution in a low-scoring team.

Johnston and Fellows’ form has been especially vital given that West Bromwich Albion are currently without a fit, senior centre-forward, with Brandon Thomas-Asante, Josh Maja and Daryl Dike all injured and West Ham United loanee Callum Marshall yet to be trusted to start. Currently, attacking midfielder, Jed Wallace, is filling in as a centre-forward and doing a decent job to facilitate the wide players while being a goal threat in his own right.

The true star of this West Bromwich Albion side is their defensive organisation, which begins in midfield with the experienced Okay Yokuslu and Alex Mowatt protecting the back-line with aggression and force, aided by the resolute Conor Townsend and Darnell Furlong at full-back and then Cedric Kipre and Semi Ajayi defending the penalty area from centre-back. On top of that, Alex Palmer is a tall presence in goal who can dominate his box, make big saves and get attacks started quickly with his distribution.

Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost

As mentioned earlier in this article, the most important thing that Coventry City must do in this game is avoid conceding the opening goal. While the same can be said for most opponents, West Bromwich Albion have only failed to win four times this season in the league after taking the lead, losing just once, only Leeds United and Ipswich Town have a better record.

Should Coventry City revert to a back three for this game, the wing-backs staying high and wide when the team is in position will be crucial to the team’s attacking threat. One of the key reasons why the Sky Blues created next to nothing against Preston North End in the second-half last week as that the wing-backs were too deep, which meant that the midfield had few options on the ball and attacks broke down. The onus will be on Milan van Ewijk in particular to bomb on and provide Callum O’Hare, Victor Torp and Kasey Palmer an outlet in possession.

The risk with asking the wing-backs to push up the pitch is that it leaves West Bromwich Albion’s dangerous wide players in one-against-one situations versus Coventry City’s wide centre-backs, Bobby Thomas and Liam Kitching, who can be prone to making risky challenges that can either see them beaten or concede free-kicks in areas of threat. There’s going to be a balance to strike between being an attacking threat and avoiding the team leaving itself open, it would be helpful if the attacking players, Ellis Simms, Callum O’Hare and Kasey Palmer, pull off moments of individual brilliance on their own to allow the team to stay in a strong defensive shape – which is something that becomes harder to rely upon from a losing position.