Sideways Sammy

Coventry City allowed a first-half lead to slip away from them in defeat at home to Sheffield Wednesday.

In a cagey start to the game, the Sky Blues took the lead through a rare attacking foray. Liam Kitching was able to slide a ball into Jack Rudoni, who drove forward and fired home from just outside the penalty area. However, the home side never really settled despite their advantage.

While a Sheffield Wednesday equaliser had looked like it was coming, it was frustrating that on the stroke of half-time, Kitching played a poor ball out of defence that was seized upon by the away side to level the scores.

The second-half saw Coventry City threaten to build momentum and win the game. The pressure looked to be mounting late-on, only for a loose ball from Ben Sheaf to set up Sheffield Wednesday’s winner. Anthony Musaba was able to run at an exposed Sky Blues back-line, with the game stretched, playing the ball to Shea Charles, who was lucky to still be on the pitch, to win the game.

Horses For Courses

It was understandable why Mark Robins stuck with the team that so comfortably defeated Blackburn Rovers in midweek but the fatal flaw with this performance was probably that same selection. While fatigue has to be considered a factor, quite a few players who did so well in midweek just didn’t look quite suited to the task they faced here against Sheffield Wednesday.

Most notably, Brandon Thomas-Asante’s lack of physical or aerial presence was a key reason why Coventry City struggled to get going in this game. Whereas against Blackburn Rovers’, the forward’s work-rate and pace up top were pivotal to the team’s winning performance. Here, he was needed to provide an outlet to help the team circumvent Sheffield Wednesday’s press and couldn’t get any change out of the opposing back-line. Things improved when Ellis Simms came on, to provide that presence up top – albeit, aided by the Owls stepping off a little as the game wore on.

Ephron Mason-Clark is the other notable example of someone who didn’t quite meet what was required of him in this game. Against Blackburn Rovers, he was provided room to float into dangerous areas and was a key instigator of some of the team’s best attacking play. Here, he was denied space and struggled to get going. Just who should have taken his place, with Tatsuhiro Sakamoto currently injured, is a tougher question to answer.

On the flipside, there were spells in this game where the passing ability of Luis Binks and, to a lesser extent, Joel Latibeaudiere were missed from centre-back, along with Oliver Dovin’s short distribution from the goalkeeping position. Haji Wright picked up some great positions staying high and wide on the left on several occasions, but there simply wasn’t anyone, apart from maybe Josh Eccles, looking to move the ball quickly enough to the American to exploit that.

Hindsight is, of course, 20/20, and those changes at the back in particular would have been extremely bold and something many, myself included, would have used to criticise Mark Robins had Coventry City lost anyway. The point is that with the benefit of a bigger squad this season, the manager now has the ability to make changes based on the opposition. For both fans and Mark Robins, any success this season may have to come from stripping away the notion of there being a singular best XI that will be suited for every game.

A Poor Home Start

It is three league defeats out of the first five home league fixtures for Coventry City, as the team has struggled to build any sense of an intimidation factor at the CBS Arena. It has felt that the Sky Blues have lacked a clear idea of how it wants to create goals, as well as established the grittiness to impose their will on games, made all the worse by a particularly delicate glass jaw defensively.

Coventry City were outworked by their opponents in this game, who not only strangled them with their pressing but were also first, it seemed, to almost every 50/50 ball. That latter part can only come from a clear collective plan, something that this Sky Blues outfit seems to lack. There is a general template of looking to control possession, but the next part for this Coventry side is yet to become apparent.

After finding success in midweek by playing the ball into the attackers more quickly, Coventry City reverted here to slow, almost aimless possession. While Jack Rudoni’s goal came from the Sky Blues finding a pass to beat Sheffield Wednesday press to create space in the final third, it was the exception, rather than the rule. There is an accusation that too many players are looking to play it safe in possession, which is not entirely wrong, but when there appear to be so few options ahead of players on the ball, it is understandable why they are choosing to keep it, rather than let moves break down from attempting something next to impossible.

Defensively, this game exposed the two key issues with this back-line. For Sheffield Wednesday’s equaliser, it was an almost completely unforced error from Liam Kitching on the ball that was punished, underlining the continued issue with concentration. For the second, the team were caught up the pitch, with the midfield unable to do anything to protect the back-line being directly ran at – it didn’t help that both central midfielders, Ben Sheaf and Josh Eccles, were left on the pitch with yellow cards apiece.

The template to beat Coventry City at the CBS Arena looks to have been established. Knock them out of their rhythm by getting in their faces, then let them have the ball for a while and sit in defensively, wait for them to make mistakes at the back to capitalise on. The two wins thus far have been against an Oxford United side that gifted the Sky Blues a last minute winner and a Blackburn Rovers side that were completely off-colour. Unless the work-rate improves, unless there is a clearer threat from long spells of possession, unless the concentration at the back increases, opponents are going to continue to enjoy their visits to Coventry.

Rudoni Sparkles

To end on a positive note, a goal in this game caps off an impressive pair of performances from Jack Rudoni, who is really starting to settle into life at Coventry City. The midfielder is on his way to becoming the beating heart of this side, covering plenty of ground off the ball, able to take the ball under pressure, making telling runs from midfield to stretch the play and starting to find a final product to cap it off.

Whether Jack Rudoni is quite suited to the number ten role that he has been almost exclusively utilised in this season remains a topic of debate. Not only does he seem to not quite have either the eye or the ability to play killer passes quickly, but a lot of Rudoni’s best work is probably even more effective if his starting position was a little deeper and he could play facing the game, instead of on the turn.

Whereas Jack Rudoni had a tendency to float in and out of matches at the start of his Coventry City career, he is becoming a bigger presence as he settles into the team. The timing of those runs from midfield is improving, often being trusted now to be that outlet for passes out of defence – as evidenced by the period of play that led to his goal here – and if he isn’t the one leading counter-attacks, then he is very closely involved.

Along with his excellent set-piece deliveries, it is clear to see why Jack Rudoni is increasingly becoming one of the team’s most important players. Whether he can become the cold-blooded final third killer that the positions he can get into might demand remains to be seen, but as someone who is incredibly hard-working, intelligent with his runs and with strong technical ability, he is an excellent option to have as part of an arsenal of attacking players.