Ben Sheaf has matured this season into both a more complete midfield player and as a presence on the pitch. That development has coincided with the departure of Gustavo Hamer, which has naturally forced Sheaf into taking up additional creative duties in the middle of the park, but it has also been part of a development process that Mark Robins had been keen to impart on Sheaf from the beginning of his time at the club. Where he was once seen as a midfielder who was content to sit deep and play short, simple passes to keep play ticking over, Ben Sheaf is now as much of a presence in the opposing half as he is in his own.
Mark Robins’ desire to have central midfielders who can get involved in both the deep build-up play and the creative work on the edge of the opposing penalty area has been crucial to Ben Sheaf’s development during his time at Coventry City. While the strongest area of Sheaf’s game involves his work in his own half in being able to receive the ball from the centre-backs and pick passes to get the team up the pitch, his manager’s insistence on pushing forward to get involved in the creating and scoring of goals is seeing Sheaf become an increasingly decisive attacking player. Although, the sight of Sheaf lining up a shot on the edge of the area still draws winces, that he is getting into those areas highlights his growing confidence as a player and also means that opponents cannot be certain where they need to be closing Sheaf down, which adds an element of unpredictability to both his and the team’s play.
It has been when Ben Sheaf has been unavailable this season that his importance to Coventry City has been most apparent. The team has lacked flow and confidence in possession when he has been out, with the best runs of form tending to coincide with him returning to fitness. Championship football is looking increasingly easy for Ben Sheaf and he proved in the FA Cup tie against Wolverhampton Wanderers that playing in the Premier League would be no issue for him. It would be hard to begrudge Ben Sheaf the opportunity to play in the top-flight if an option away from Coventry City presented itself over the coming summer, if not then, the club will have to win promotion soon in order to keep Sheaf at the club.
Sideways Sammy 