Sideways Sammy

A new season is upon us and one in which Coventry City are tipped by many to push for a return to the top-flight. It has been nearly a quarter of a century since the club were last in such a position. Just how justified their status as one of the division’s strongest teams is will soon become apparent. As it looks right now, an already strong squad has been strengthened over the summer, setting up what looks set to be an exciting campaign ahead.

It all begins in Stoke-on-Trent, with the Sky Blues taking the relatively short journey north-west to take on a Stoke City side that will relish an early opportunity to demonstrate their own top six mettle. The Potters have yet to record a top-half finish since relegation to this level six years ago, but with an attack-minded manager and a really exciting handful of players, they are dark horse candidates in the Championship this season. Winning here would set the tone nicely for the campaign ahead.

Expected Line-Up

Mark Robins is hoping to have close to a complete, fully-fit squad in the days leading up to this game, with pre-season absentees Haji Wright, Raphael Borges Rodrigues and, possibly, Ben Sheaf having returned to training over the past week. While there may still be concerns over the match sharpness of Sheaf and Wright, it looks to be a case of Robins naming his strongest possible team for this match.

If pre-season has provided any indication, Coventry City will line up in a 4-2-3-1 shape for the early part of the campaign. Starting in defence, the key changes from last season look set to be new signing, Oliver Dovin, starting in goal and Luis Binks being first-choice at left centre-back after making a permanent move to the club over the summer – Binks being aided by a suspension to Liam Kitching for this opening game. Just how much of an improvement that, plus a pre-season break, makes to what was a leaky back-line over the final month of season could well define whether the Sky Blues can make the leap to promotion contention that is being hoped for.

In midfield, Ben Sheaf’s fitness levels may be the only thing stopping Mark Robins from playing his strongest team for this game. If Sheaf isn’t available, it looks likely to be a midfield pairing of Josh Eccles and Victor Torp operating behind Jack Rudoni. If Sheaf is available, it may well be Torp that loses his place, having yet to earn the trust of the manager in a role operating just in front of the back-line.

Further forward, the big decision is between Haji Wright and Ephron Mason-Clark on the left side of the attack. Wright’s recent return to fitness may well be enough to hand Mason-Clark the nod. That the team may well be as equally strong with either in the role underlines the strength of the squad. Tatsuhiro Sakamoto making it smoothly through pre-season after a long spell out injured is encouraging.

Last Time We Met

It was a low quality game at the, well whatever Stoke City’s stadium is actually called, back in February against two sides low on confidence. That was despite Coventry City entering the match unbeaten in two league games, due to Mark Robins making changes in defence to address a long run without a clean sheet. Stoke City, meanwhile, were battling for points to pull away from the relegation zone, with manager, Steven Schumacher, struggling to figure out his best team or approach.

The game was decided by Callum O’Hare winning the ball high up the pitch to set up Ellis Simms for a confident finish, part of a run of goals from the striker that saw him belatedly get up and running in a Coventry City shirt. The Sky Blues then sat on their lead, looking exhausted, for the remainder of the contest but were able to keep a clean sheet against a toothless Stoke City attack.

The Opposition

The Manager – Steven Schumacher

The former Plymouth Argyle boss took the decision to take on what has become a poisoned chalice at Stoke City midway through last season. Owned by the richest family in Britain, it is easy to see the appeal of managing Stoke – especially given the owners’ patience with managers – but six bottom-half finishes in a row since relegation from the Premier League underlines just how little guarantee of success money is. Doing enough to keep Stoke in the division last season, Schumacher had the Potters playing some good football towards the end of the campaign but this is a club that is well-accustomed to false dawns.

Steven Schumacher likes to play attacking football, pushing players forward with abandon to allow them to let loose. He had to modify that somewhat last season to keep Stoke City in the division, but the freedom with which the team played once safety was secured underlines that the Potters won’t be shy under Schumacher’s charge this time out. With a collection of nimble-footed creative, attacking players, Stoke could be one of the best teams in the division to watch this season if things click.

Who To Look Out For?

It is the trio of Wouter Burger, Bae Jun-ho and Million Manhoef that threaten to make Stoke City so eye-catching this season. Starting with Burger, the tall Dutch midfielder has a glide and grace about him as he orchestrates things in midfield and is probably the primary threat to attempt to shut down in order to prevent Stoke from playing. Bae and Manhoef, meanwhile, are both excellent dribblers who can create opportunities out of nothing when they get on the ball, the calibre of players who can win matches on their own when their on top form.

If there is further excitement in the team, it comes from the attack-minded full-backs, Junior Tchamadeu and Eric Bocat, who can stretch teams out wide to allow the attacking players to threaten through the middle. Portuguese winger, Andre Vidigal, is another potential source of excitement, even if he has struggled to get into the team since Steven Schumacher has taken charge. Goalscoring midfielder, Lewis Baker, is another match-winner in this team, but looks to be off to Blackburn Rovers in a swap deal for the tigerish Lewis Travis.

The hope for Stoke City this season is that their focus on recruiting steady players around that trio allows them to flourish. Viktor Johansson in goal has won many points in this division for Rotherham United with his shot-stopping ability, while Ben Gibson at centre-back is an experienced, commanding presence. The other main addition is the giant Sam Gallagher in attack, who it is hoped will provide the physical presence up top to get Stoke’s fancy Dans into dangerous areas. With sturdy, physical players like Enda Stevens, Ben Wilmot and Josh Laurent to call upon from the existing ranks, Stoke may just have a good blend of flair and steel this campaign.

Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost

In Coventry City’s favour heading into this match looks to be Stoke City’s lengthy injury list. The key absentees look to be Bae Jun-ho and Sam Gallagher, leaving the Potters particularly short of attacking options, which may well provide the perfect opportunity for the Sky Blues to play on the front foot with less fear of being stung on the counter-attack.

Still, in Million Manhoef, Stoke City carry a significant threat on the break with the Dutch winger’s dribbling ability. If Wouter Burger is given too much time on the ball, he will be able to spring Manhoef into dangerous areas either in behind or from where he can isolate the Sky Blues back-line in one-against-one scenarios. If Coventry City end up on the front foot for long portions of this game, there is going to have to be a level of defensive awareness in midfield to protect the back-line against the counter-attacking threat, which is probably going to fall on Josh Eccles’ shoulders.

The key opportunity for Coventry City in this game is Stoke City’s lack of pace at the back, which may well be compounded by having a goalkeeper in Viktor Johansson who is uncomfortable in coming off his line. Whether it’s through pressing high or allowing Stoke longer spells of possession to draw their defence up the pitch, the pace of Simms, Mason-Clark, Sakamoto and Van Ewijk could be too much for them to handle, plus with Haji Wright and Brandon Thomas-Asante to come on later in the game, there will be the ability to pick the Potters off if the game gets stretched later on.