After failing to take an opportunity to close the gap on sixth place to one point on Monday afternoon, Coventry City head into back-to-back games against automatic promotion contenders with pressure to pick up points to keep their play-off bid alive. The final weeks of the campaign are beginning to loom and the Sky Blues are yet to find themselves in a position they’d be happy with should the music stop. If this isn’t a must-win game, it is getting uncomfortably close to the time when each one will be.
The opposition for this upcoming home game are a Leeds United side that are yet to lose in this calendar year, winning 13 out of 15 matches, scoring 33 and conceding just six. Taking into account that form, this is arguably the toughest opponent Coventry City will face in the league this season. It will be a tall order to take points off Leeds, but that is exactly what the Sky Blues have to do here to maintain pressure on the top six.
Expected Line-Up
Given that the current set-up and personnel were good enough to beat a Wolverhampton Wanderers side that sit in the top-half of the Premier League table on their own patch just a few weeks ago, there is a strong argument not to make any changes for this game. However, considerations may need to be made for the sense that this Leeds United side have a higher quality set of attacking players available to them than Wolves did for that FA Cup tie.
The biggest decision could well be who starts at right-back to counter Leeds’ biggest attacking threat, left winger, Crysencio Summerville. Joel Latibeaudiere has yet to look particularly comfortable in the position, looking exposed for his lack of positional understanding in that game against Wolverhampton Wanderers, which could make for an unfavourable match-up here. Milan van Ewijk did a pretty good job in the last meeting between these teams to stymie Summerville, with Van Ewijk’s pace particularly useful in limiting the winger’s effectiveness. However, the question is who to play ahead of him on the right wing.
Kasey Palmer is probably the most likely option to play on the right should Milan van Ewijk be deployed at right-back. That could allow Callum O’Hare to come into the side to harry Leeds United’s build-up play and orchestrate counter-attacks, or to switch to a midfield three, and either allow Victor Torp to play with a greater platform to push forward and make things happen or play Joel Latibeaudiere as a disciplined holding midfielder.
Aside from that key decision at right-back, it is hard to see much scope for change elsewhere. One concern might be over Liam Kitching, after his two own goals on Monday, although it seems harsh to punish someone for a pair of pretty unfortunate mistakes – even if the first of them was baffling.
Last Time We Met
Coventry City ground out a point at Elland Road, becoming one of only four teams that have taken anything off Leeds United on their home turf this season. They did so by setting up incredibly defensively, with Joel Latibeaudiere and Jay Dasiva both deployed in midfield, which frustrated Leeds immensely during a first-half in which they were unable to create much of note.
That resolve looked to have been broken when the Sky Blues handed Georginio Rutter far too much time and space on the edge of the penalty area to slip Crysencio Summerville in behind to finish past Brad Collins. However, Coventry City were level when, during a rare moment of attacking intent, Bobby Thomas wandered forward from centre-back and stayed there to make himself available to head in a Tatsuhiro Sakamoto cross like any good centre-forward would be proud of. Coventry were then able to hold firm for the remainder of the game to secure the point, much to the frustration of Crysencio Summerville, in particular.
The Opposition
The Manager – Daniel Farke
A positive presence in the dug-out who loves to play attacking football, Daniel Farke has proved the perfect man to get Elland Road buzzing after a fractious, uninspiring Premier League relegation last time out. A slow start caused by both the manager and the transfer activity occurring relative late in the summer threatened to cost Leeds United a place in the automatic promotion battle, but Farke has gradually figured out the best way to harness the talent available to him and things have clicked since the turn of the year, turning Leeds into an imperious winning unit.
With so much talent to call upon in the final third, Daniel Farke has focused on accentuating the individual ability of players like Crysencio Summerville, Dan James and Georginio Rutter, with the team’s play centred around getting them in one-against-one situations against opposing defenders, where they can devastate with their individual skill. This is a team that plays fast-paced, devastating football, while also being imposing at the back to give their opponents very little hope when they’re on top form. They are possibly the best team in the Championship, even if that isn’t quite reflected in the league table.
Who To Look Out For?
As mentioned earlier, that combination of Crysencio Summerville, Dan James and Georginio Rutter has been at the heart of pretty much everything good about Leeds United this season. With Rutter, nominally a big centre-forward, so good at dropping between the lines and playing his quick-footed team-mates in, keeping the Frenchman under close attention could be key here. Both Summerville and James have shown that they’re not just speed merchants out wide, but they have the close control and ball-striking ability to beat defenders and score goals in a number of other ways, with Summerville proving particularly potent this season.
What is so scary about Leeds United is that it’s not just about those three, with others fully capable of coming into the attack and contributing. Wilfried Gnonto is perhaps the chief example of Leeds’ strength in depth, the Italian winger had been the team’s star player in the Premier League last year with his rapid pace and dribbling ability but has been relegated to the second-string due to the form of Crysencio Summerville and Dan James. In addition, there is a choice between the experienced Patrick Bamford to lead the line at centre-forward or the goalscoring ability of Joel Piroe in a more withdrawn position, meanwhile, youngster, Mateo Joseph cannot get into the team despite scoring a brace against Chelsea in the FA Cup around a month ago.
In central midfield, Finland international, Glen Kamara’s, combination of physicality, work-rate and technical ability can make him a dominating presence in the middle of the park. He had been paired with Ethan Ampadu for much of the season, however, the Wales international has dropped back to centre-back to strong effect in recent months, allowing teenager, Archie Gray, to move into the middle from right-back and make his playmaking ability known.
The technically-adept, Ethan Ampadu, is joined at centre-back with the more physical, Joe Rodon, to make for an imposing centre-back duo that are excellent on the ball. At full-back, Junior Firpo’s availability over the second half of the campaign has been a huge area of improvement, with the former Barcelona left-back, having assisted five times in 20 appearances since coming into the team. In goal, Ilan Meslier is at least a mid-table Premier League quality keeper, a tall, dominant presence between the sticks who is also very strong on the ball.
Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost
The primary concern for Coventry City in this game is just how they can keep Leeds United’s attacking players quiet for as long as possible. It’s not just a case of keeping Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter and Dan James closely marked, but cutting off the quality of service they get that will be crucial. If the Sky Blues sit off Leeds too much, that allows Ethan Ampadu and Archie Gray to dictate play and eventually pick out those attacking players if they are given too much time on the ball.
It would probably be a mistake to go for a defensive midfield trio in the same way that Coventry City did in the game at Elland Road, as that would make it difficult to apply pressure on Leeds United around the middle third of the pitch and break up their rhythm. Finding the right balance between defensive shape and being able to press in the right areas will be crucial here, which is what the team did so well in the win over Leicester City a few months ago. Callum O’Hare’s energy and tactical intelligence could be crucial here, as could moving Milan van Ewijk to right-back so that his pace can be utilised to cover the back-line and allow the team to push a few metres further up the pitch.
The key area of opportunity for Coventry City here is in getting behind Leeds United’s full-backs, with Haji Wright’s pace and physical presence off the left wing likely to be the key outlet in this game. Leeds love to commit bodies forward and that provides chances to sting them on the break if the team can get that first pass into the front-men right. That’s another reason why this feels like a good game for Callum O’Hare to come into the side, with Kasey Palmer tending to be happier to take the ball into contact, which could allow Leeds to quickly regain possession.
Sideways Sammy 