Sideways Sammy

Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Blackburn Rovers confirmed what had already been apparent after the final whistle against Hull City a few days earlier, Coventry City’s play-off hopes are over. An extended FA Cup run with a squad in the first year of a rebuild has proved too much strain for the Sky Blues to contend with, with both manager and players likely to be happy if the season was already over. However, there are still two games left.

The prospect of pitting Coventry’s tired legs in a midweek game against a side vying for automatic promotion is not a particularly enticing one from a fans’ perspective. Ipswich Town know that a win here will leave them needing just a point on the final day to secure back-to-back promotions into the Premier League. While the Tractor Boys have been in mixed form of late, they will clearly benefit here from the stronger motivation. The main hope here from a Sky Blues’ perspective is Ipswich’s own nerves playing against them.

Expected Line-Up

With Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, Fabio Tavares, Luis Binks, Victor Torp and Ben Sheaf all having been out injured for Saturday’s game against Blackburn Rovers, a season-ending suspension for Liam Kitching only makes Mark Robins’ task of putting a team out for the remaining matches all the more difficult. The manager will be hoping that one or two of those injury absentees might be in contention for either this game or the next, but there is no news on any potential returns and it may be the wiser decision not to risk anyone in order to keep them fresh for pre-season.

The most obvious change from the starting line-up on Saturday will be Joel Latibeaudiere stepping into Liam Kitching’s place in central defence. From then on, there is justification to rest each and every other player who started at the weekend, however, the limited set of options to do so will force several to start while in sub-optimal condition.

Looking to the few senior players who were on the bench against Blackburn Rovers, expect most, if not all, of them to come into the XI for this game. Jake Bidwell to take Jay Dasilva’s place at left-back seems an obvious change, with Dasilva likely to be pushed further forward to hand Haji Wright a rest on the left wing. Matt Godden for Ellis Simms is the other almost certain selection Mark Robins will make. Jamie Allen’s ability to play in either the deep or attacking midfield roles provides the manager with the option to take a few out of the side, but Josh Eccles looks the most in need of a rest and that could be where Allen comes in.

Unless Mark Robins is willing to throw some youngsters in at the deep end, that is where the scope for changes end ahead of this game. If a youngster is to get a start, it is likely to be Kai Andrews in central midfield, but there probably isn’t really the need to do so unless there are further injuries.

Last Time We Met

Ipswich Town are no strangers to a second-string Coventry City side, having done so back in December, with Mark Robins looking to keep players fit during a congested run of fixtures. The Tractor Boys were ahead early when George Hirst was slipped in behind by Nathan Broadhead in the sixth minute to score. The game was effectively ended by a goal of the season winning effort from Wes Burns, rounding off a brilliant back to front move from Ipswich with a sensational outside of the boot strike that curled into the top corner past a helpless Brad Collins.

Coventry City belatedly got going in the second-half, and had a golden opportunity to turn the game back into a contest when Tatushiro Sakamoto took a tumble in the penalty area to win a spot-kick. However, a Matt Godden penalty miss ensured that Ellis Simms forcing an own goal late into injury time was all for naught.

The Opposition

The Manager – Kieran McKenna

Four points away from winning back-to-back promotions from League One into the Premier League in his second full season as a manager, Kieran McKenna is proving to be a special managerial talent. While he benefitted from having the most expensively assembled squad in League One last year, to be matching the parachute payment clubs step-for-step this year with minimal additions to the team is a much more impressive achievement and one that may be soon capped off at the end of the week with a place in the top-flight.

There is a real clarity to each player’s role in this Ipswich Town side, which is why they have been so consistent this season. From a defence that can seamlessly switch between a back three and four depending on where on the pitch the team has the ball, a midfield duo that can both screen the back-line and control possession, a three behind the striker who switch positions seamlessly and a battering-ram centre-forward to attack all the crosses the team generates, it is clear what Ipswich are trying to do in McKenna’s system, which is why they started the campaign so strongly and have subsequently been able to grind out results over the last few months.

Who To Look Out For?

With players so easily capable of slotting in and out of Ipswich Town’s starting line-up, the ability for manager, Kieran McKenna, to rotate his options – particularly, in the front four – could be the crucial factor in this game. The recent return to fitness of key cog, George Hirst, at centre-forward means that McKenna can pick from three excellent options to lead the attack, from Hirst’s physical presence and pace, Kieffer Moore’s giant size and goalscoring ability, or the raw energy of Ali Al-Hamadi to press and harry opponents.

That range of options extends to the three positions behind the centre-forward, where Conor Chaplin, Omari Hutchinson, Nathan Broadhead, Wes Burns and Jeremy Sarmiento have all seamlessly switched in and out of the side in recent months to keep Ipswich Town’s promotion bid going. Chaplin is probably the least replaceable of the five, with his ability to pivot attacks and ghost into scoring positions in the central role hard to replicate. Wes Burns, who can also slot in at right-back, provides directness and a crossing threat on the right side, while Nathan Broadhead can run in behind and chip in with goals, with Omari Hutchinson and Jeremy Sarmiento very talented technical footballers who can make things happen in tight areas.

Those free-moving attacking players contrast with a pretty robust set-up behind them, led by the authoritative pairing of Sam Morsy and Massimo Luongo in central midfield. The experienced midfield duo impose themselves on games via a combination of physicality and their ability on the ball. That helps provide a platform for the team’s fifth attacking player, Leif Davis at left-back, to bomb forward and rack up the assists with his incredible crossing ability.

With another physical and technically-adept key pairing at centre-back, in Luke Woolfenden and Cameron Burgess, along with a right-back, which has recently been Axel Tuanzebe, who tends to drop in to make it a three when the team is in possession, that further helps Ipswich dominate and control games. In addition, Vaclav Hladky in goal has proved a revelation this season after unexpectedly stepping up as first-choice, due to his ability on the ball to keep attacks flowing.

Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost

In circumstances other than this being the 50th game of the season for Coventry City, and the fourth in the space of nine days, there are areas of Ipswich Town that can be targeted. The Tractor Boys have conceded considerably more goals than the other automatic promotion contenders and have been rather inconsistent over the past month, winning just one of their past five games, as the pressure at the end of the season has mounted. However, they will be the fitter and more motivated team here, which looks set to count for a lot.

If Coventry City are to get anything out of this game, it will be based on being patient and trying to keep the match scoreless for as long as possible. Ipswich Town have shown in recent weeks that they are nervous, missing multiple opportunities to firm up their place in the top two. A key area to target is getting in behind the rampaging Leif Davis from left-back for Ipswich Town, however, the Sky Blues lack a quick right-sided player to take advantage of that.

Coventry’s ability to defend crosses is going to be a key factor in how competitive this game is. Bobby Thomas is going to have a key role to play, as the centre-back who is most capable of attacking opposing deliveries and generating a level of confidence in the team’s penalty area defending. However, it seems likely that Ipswich Town will look to target the less statuesque and positionally suspect Joel Latibeaudiere against either or both of Kieffer Moore and George Hirst on the end of deliveries from Leif Davis on the left side and Wes Burns on the right. Latibeaudiere is up for a really stern test of his credentials at centre-back.