Sideways Sammy

After a really promising start to life at Coventry City, beginning with that fabulous strike in the FA Cup against Sheffield Wednesday and then backed up with a string of influential performances, Victor Torp has been unable to build on that and establish himself as even a first-choice player, let alone a key one. While the second half of last season was something of a free hit for the Dane, who understandably struggled for fitness having arrived off the back of a full campaign in Norway, similar issues have left Torp on the fringe of the first-team this time around. Whether the blame is solely on Victor Torp or the way in which he has been utilised, the task for him over the next few months is to force his way into being the first-choice, influential player that he has showed in flashes that he can be.

Aside from the fitness issues, what has set Victor Torp back the most has probably been the midfield role that has been asked of him for much of his time at the club. Mark Robins has almost exclusively played Torp as part of a deep midfield pair, which has asked the Dane to cover more ground, be stronger in the challenge and play closer to his own goal than he ideally would. Torp is at his best when he’s on the edge of the opposing penalty area, facing goal, where his touch and eye for a pass or shot prevents the team from getting stuck in slow, aimless spells of possession. As much as the manager may be hoping that playing Torp deeper will help him round out his game and become the dominant presence that he has the technique to be, he is probably better served in a role where he has the licence to focus almost exclusively on the attacking side of midfield play

It is not quite sink or swim territory yet for Victor Torp, but the next few months feel like an important period for the midfield for him in carving out a niche for himself in the team. Whether it’s down to fitness, not having the right role established for him in the team or a little bit of both, the best players tend to find a way for their quality to shine through. The question with Victor Torp right now is whether the leading talent that he looked to be in his first few appearances for Coventry City or the player who has let games pass him by pretty much ever since is the most accurate impressions of his level.