Sideways Sammy

Depending on your perspective, Coventry City were either saw their malaise continue by being unable to beat the division’s worst team from a leading position or gained a potentially valuable point on the road to help stop the rot. The truth is somewhere in between but the perception of Tuesday’s result will be significantly affected by what happens here against Luton Town.

The team that denied the Sky Blues a place in the Premier League two years ago, Luton, are in a similar place having started poorly despite lofty pre-season expectations. For both managers in particular, the result in this game could be the difference between having time to turn things around or leaving their respective positions hanging by a thread. It may be too early for ‘must win’ games but it would be awfully nice for either side were they to pick up the three points here.

Expected Line-Up

Mark Robins has probably seen enough over the last two games to persist with the 3-5-2 system that he’s turned to recently. Things look to have improved defensively and that seems to be the priority now, just how this setup works in a home game is the one test that has yet to be run by the manager.

Finding a way to bring Victor Torp and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto into the team after impressive cameos late on against Queens Park Rangers feels one of the key concerns with the starting line-up here. In light of recent struggles with three-game weeks, it wouldn’t be surprising to see both come in to freshen things up in midfield, with a move to a 3-4-1-2 to play Sakamoto centrally, in place of Jack Rudoni, and Torp taking Eccles‘ place in the side with the latter seemingly injured for this game.

Elsewhere, the other likely changes will again involve the strikers, with Norman Bassete and Ellis Simms stepping up in attack to provide fresh legs up front to again manage the fixture list. It’s possible that maybe Haji Wright will be kept in the team, and possibly paired with Ellis Simms, to help him build on Tuesday’s goal but Mark Robins has already Ben burned on a few occasions with not making changes after midweek games so that is likely his primary concern here.

Finally, Oliver Dovin and Luis Binks are probably remote possibilities for performance related droppings. Dovin’a would be harsh as he played fairly well against QPR, aside from misjudging a deflected shot for the crucial equaliser, but Mark Robins’ mentioned post-game that he should have made the save, which suggests the manager is short on trust with the goalkeeper. Binks also had his role to play in that goal, caught out of position for the ball over the top, whether Liam Kitching is any more trusted to come in could be what saves Binks’ place.

Possible Coventry City Line-Up (3-4-1-2): Dovin; Latibeaudiere, Thomas, Binks; Van Ewijk, Sheaf, Torp, Dasilva; Sakamoto; Simms, Wright.

Last Time We Met

Can’t remember this one, actually.

The Opposition

The Manager- Rob Edwards

Having arrived at an in-form Luton Town side two seasons ago, Edwards didn’t change much to steer them into the Premier League, largely keeping the same, feisty, combative style that had worked under predecessor, Nathan Jones. The top-flight last year was a fee hit for Luton and Edwards, who knew they were outmatched significantly by every club in the division, so the manager retained credit in the bank. This season has proved to be the chance for Edwards to stamp his mark on Luton and, with increased expectations following that top-flight spell, fans are starting to lose patience with him.

Rob Edwards has tried to make Luton Town a more possession-based team but was hampered this summer by a slow transfer window leaving him still with a core of players used to playing a different style. Luton have often lacked the bite, intensity and nastiness that used to make them so horrible to lay against, instead, being ponderous and porous at the back. Poor early results have forced Edwards to compromise but there remains a sense of identity crisis about this Luton Town side.

Who To Look Out For?

With two big, physical strikers, good crossers out wide and a combative array of central midfielders, this Luton Town squad has largely been put together with a specific way of playing. The prime concern for Coventry City will be in denying Alfie Doughty out wide time on the ball to hit Elijah Adebayo and Carlton Morris with service to unsettle the Sky Blues in the penalty area.

With the additions of Victor Moses and Tahith Chong, there is a little more to Luton Town’s attacking threat than that initial deadly trio. Furthermore, the return of Daiki Hashioka as a right-back to play on the right of their back three adds further threat in the defender’s ability to get forward and create overloads down his side of the pitch.

In the middle, Luton Town have looked to move away from the physical duo of Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu and Marvelous Nakamba, but they could come in here to freshen things up after the more cultured Tom Krauss and Jordan Clark played together on Wednesday night.

At the back, injuries have robbed Luton Town of consistency of selection. Teden Mengi’s absence in particular has cost them someone who offers both physicality and pace to cover their increasing desire to push up the pitch. Mark McGuinness was a hugely expensive signing as a decent Championship centre-back to cover that crisis they had to make. Thomas Kaminski in goal is an excellent shot-stopper but isn’t the best on the ball or quickest off his line, suiting Luton’s older style of play.

Possible Luton Town Line-Up (3-4-1-2): Kaminski; Hashioka, McGuinness, Holmes; Moses, Krauss, Nakamba, Doughty; Chong; Adebayo, Morris.

Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost

Luton Town seem like they are edging towards playing in their familiar, aggressive, niggly approach, which could really frustrate the home crowd at the CBS Arena, especially if Coventry City are sloppy to start off with and surrender an early lead. The concern is that Luton will enjoy the Sky Blues if they look to play slowly out from the back, providing them with ample opportunity to press and force errors. It is when the shoe is on the other foot where they struggle.

Another concern for Coventry City heading into this game is set-piece defending. With Luton Town possessing both great set-piece takers and physical players to attack them, the Sky Blues appear to lack any means of effectively repelljng that threat unless Oliver Dovin or anyone in defence develops some kind of authority suddenly.

Where Coventry City can threaten is on the break, with Luton Town tending to be more reckless with committing bodies forward and lacking pace to cover when they get caught out. It is likely that Luton will look to use tactical fouls to try and break up danger from the Sky Blues, if they get some early yellow cards, that could have a big impact on the game.