Sideways Sammy

As disappointing as a late defeat from a winning position against Tottenham Hotspur in midweek was, the reaction to it has to be to do everything in the team’s power to ensure they can take on teams like Spurs week-in, week-out next season. The performance felt an important step forward, for some of the summer signings in particular, in seeing this Coventry City side learn to fight for one another and how they compare against opponents that are some of the best the country has to offer.

After such a big effort in midweek and the short turnaround for this game, the worry is that it will be difficult to match the impressive energy levels the Sky Blues showed last time out. A bogey team for Coventry, Swansea City are perfectly capable of taking advantage of any tired minds and bodies, having had a full week to rest and prepare for this game.

Expected Line-Up

Some of the performances put in by supposed fringe players against Tottenham Hotspur will surely have given something for Mark Robins to think about ahead of this game. The likes of Jamie Allen, Norman Bassette and Jake Bidwell boosted their hopes of getting into the regular starting XI, with committed, energetic showings on Wednesday night. The only problem is the level of effort it required for them to perform in midweek may hamper their ability to replicate it at the weekend.

With Jay Dasilva and Joel Latibeaudiere set to return to contention for the squad in this game, along with Tatsuhiro Sakamoto and, hopefully, Ben Sheaf, who were both on the bench on Wednesday night, Mark Robins doesn’t need to run players who put in such an admirable effort last time out into the ground. The team selection for this game is likely to be closer to the one that drew with Watford than the one that came so close to beating Tottenham Hotspur.

Starting with a return for Oliver Dovin in goal, it is in front of the Swede that possibly the toughest calls need to be made for this game. Liam Kitching and Jay Dasilva did little to warrant dropping out of the side at left centre-back and left-back, respectively, however, Luis Binks and Jake Bidwell put in big enough performances on Wednesday to earn places in the side. It feels a genuine 50-50 call in both positions.

In midfield, Victor Torp will probably take Jamie Allen’s place, mainly to to put some fresh legs in the middle after such a big effort in midweek. It is clearly too soon for Ben Sheaf to be considered for a starting place, with Mark Robins mentioning after the Spurs game that the captain was icing his ankle following his cameo appearance.

In attack, Brandon Thomas-Asante may well keep his place on the right wing in order to help manage Tatsuhiro Sakamoto’s return from injury. The big decision is between Ellis Simms and Norman Bassette at centre-forward, the former is likely to get the nod given the level of effort the latter expended in midweek. Simms could do with building on that goal in the Watford game in order to shake off the pressure Bassette is starting to put him under for a starting place.

Last Time We Met

For the second season running, Coventry City blew a chance at the CBS Arena to end a winless streak against Swansea City that extends back to 1981 by conceding late. Liam Walsh had put a managerless Swans side ahead, seizing on Jamie Allen’s failure to sort his feet out inside his own penalty area to finish with aplomb past Brad Collins. However, the Sky Blues were quickly level when Haji Wright finished confidently past Carl Rushworth in the opposing goal.

Perhaps the key moment of the game came midway through the second-half, when Haji Wright thought he’d grabbed his second of the evening, heading in a looping Tatsuhiro Sakamoto cross, which Ellis Simms made sure went in. Nothing wrong with the goal, but it meant the American went chasing his hat-trick, spurning an excellent chance in stoppage time to play a team-mate in for a tap-in. That still looked to be enough to see off a Swansea side posing little threat of their own, only for Ben Sheaf to give a cheap free-kick on the edge of the penalty area away late-on, allowing Liam Cullen to score with essentially the final kick of the game.

The Opposition

The Manager – Luke Williams

A former assistant manager of the club under Russell Martin who had been seen as the brains behind the operation, Luke Williams was brought in by Swansea City early this year to get the team playing the dominant, passing football they have often been associated with. A man who is hugely popular with just about every player he has worked with for the quality of his training sessions and his personal touch, it still feels early days for Williams in terms of what impact he can make as the number one in the Welsh second city.

After easing Swansea City away from a relegation battle last season that they were never really in, Luke Williams has had the summer to drill his style into the team, aided by a handful of decent signings. As a mid-ranking team in this division for budget, Swansea are really hoping that sticking with a manager with a clear sense of style for how he wants the team to play can make up the gap with the upper end of the division. It has been a solid start to the campaign, with the Swans having two wins under their belt and ranking third in the division for average possession.

Who To Look Out For?

Lacking genuine star players, the key thing to look out for with this Swansea City side is their ability to build from the back and control possession. Lawrence Vigouroux in goal is someone who has never been a regular higher than League One level but was brought in by Luke Williams over the summer precisely for his ball-playing ability from the goalkeeping position. Harry Darling at centre-back is another fantastic passer out of defence, with the ever-present Matt Grimes in midfield a master at keeping things ticking over in the middle with his passing range.

The closest that Swansea City currently have to star players are the creative forwards, Ronald and Eom ji-sung. The somewhat mercurial Ronald, was brought in last January and has occasionally lit games up with his dribbling ability and fieriness. Eom Ji-sung is a technical wide player who is a reliable ball-barrier for the team, who could soon make himself better known in the Championship if he can add goals to his game. Another name to look out for is Goncalo Franco in central midfield, who absolutely loves tackling and shooting from range, who could well develop into the punchy, classy presence in the centre of the park that Gustavo Hamer was for at Coventry City.

Elsewhere, the ability of Josh Key and Josh Tymon to stretch the game with attacking runs from either full-back position is something that the Sky Blues will need to keep track of. Ben Cabango at centre-back adds some physicality to the pretty passing. Up front, either Liam Cullen or Zan Vipotnik are capable of nicking goals if left unattended in the penalty area.

Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost

While there is only so much Coventry City can take from a game in midweek against a Premier League heavyweight that were able to dominate possession against them, Swansea City are possibly the best Championship opponent to take the learnings from that match into. If the Sky Blues can be as resolute and intelligent as they were without the ball in Wednesday night, as forceful in the challenge as they were in key areas and as quick as they were on the counter-attack, that could well be the formula for success against a Swansea side that will look to hoard the ball.

With Victor Torp likely to come into the central midfield, the challenge for the Dane is to be as disciplined and aggressive as Jamie Allen was last time out to prevent Swansea City holding onto the ball in dangerous areas. Torp’s extra quality on the ball could help improve the threat on the counter. Jack Rudoni, after a big shift on Wednesday night, will have an important role to play too in shutting down the likes of Matt Grimes and Harry Darling to stifle Swansea’s build-up from deep.

If Swansea City begin to control the ball, the danger is that they can work the ball out to wide areas and begin to drag Coventry City around the pitch with the width their full-backs, Josh Tymon and Josh Key give them. The Sky Blues will need to find a way to stay compact while also preventing Tymon on the left in particular from getting into crossing positions.