Sideways Sammy

After a big push to bring Liam Kitching in last summer, there have largely been positive signs from the centre-back but he has rarely looked like a stand-out player. A mobile, ball-playing, left-footed centre-back, Liam Kitching has a lot to offer the team in the outlet he provides in possession from the back and the ability to cover the back-line to push a little higher up the pitch. However, he has yet to project a sense of authority from centre-back and has started to develop an unhealthy habit of mishaps leading to goals of late. Like every member of Coventry City’s leaky back-line, Kitching has a responsibility to bear and may need to step up soon with the summer’s transfer business on the horizon.

When Liam Kitching has been good this season, it has been apparent why the club made such a big effort to bring him in. Not only are left-footed centre-back more highly prized due to their relatively rarity, but Kitching can be really good on the ball, both in terms of his passing and in stepping into midfield to add urgency to attacks. Fairly quick for a centre-back, Kitching allows Bobby Thomas to play a more aggressive role alongside him at centre-back by mopping up the space in behind. However, Kitching seems to lack the ability to truly dominate the penalty area in his own regard, along with a tendency to occasionally over-commit to challenges in one-on-one situations that can leave the back-line exposed, which is beginning to make him a hard player to trust.

While there is little doubt that Liam Kitching makes up Coventry City’s best back-line, it is a back-line that is increasingly showing itself to be unable to keep clean sheets reliably. Just how much of that is the result of Liam Kitching’s shortcomings as a footballer or is a temporary form issue will only become apparent over time. Right now, Kitching is probably the member of that defensive unit who is most at risk of losing his place if the leakiness continues to dog the team. He really could do with a strong run of form both individually and from the defence as a whole to project a sense of authority back into his persona.