Sideways Sammy

Last Saturday’s come-from-behind win against Luton Town feels like it could be a crucial turning point in Coventry City’s season, the moment the team developed collective spirit, determination and the bit between their teeth to win games. The significance of that victory is, however, set to be tested with a run of four games out of the next five against promotion contenders, three of which are away from home.

The opposition for the first in this run are a Middlesbrough side who have had a frustrating start to the season themselves but have managed to pick up points consistently enough to remain within touching distance of the top six. A side that likes to dominate the ball and attack with abandon, the challenge for the Sky Blues here will be to play with a steelier mindset than they have shown for much of the campaign to resist what are likely to be extended spells of opposition control.

Expected Line-Up

It feels like it should be as simple for Mark Robins as playing the same XI as the one that finished the game against Luton Town. The concern is whether that configuration of players is the best choice for a tough away game where they are going to have long periods without the ball.

The one specific area of concern is at left wing-back, where Jack Rudoni is an attack-minded option who may be less effective if the team isn’t dominating possession. If there is a tweak that the manager makes to the team that ended the Luton game, it will be in keeping Rudoni on the bench. That would probably see Jay Dasilva come into the side, with a remote possibility being to keep Liam Kitching in at left wing-back to try and keep that side of the pitch locked down.

Elsewhere, Victor Torp has a great opportunity in an advanced role after finally getting a chance to do so last week. That balance between Torp’s quality around the penalty area, Ben Sheaf keeping possession ticking over and Josh Eccles’ energy seems like Coventry City’s most effective midfield three. It will be important for Torp to get up to support Ellis Simms and Haji Wright as often as possible to improve the team’s counter-attacking threat.

Last Time We Met

Coventry City were at the peak of their upturn in form at the start of the year when they took the trip to Teesside. However, that still involved a sloppy first-half performance where Middlesbrough were well on top and took the lead through Josh Coburn. That was the cue for the Sky Blues to step things up, with Tatsuhiro Sakamoto tucking away a loose ball from a corner-kick to ensure the sides went into the break level.

The second-half saw Coventry City take control of affairs against a tiring Boro side. Some great work between Tatsuhiro Sakamoto and Callum O’Hare on the right side saw a cross come in for Ellis Simms, whose effort was nudged over the line by Haji Wright. Sakamoto then capped off an excellent showing by heading in a looping Jake Bidwell cross to seal the points.

The Opposition

The Manager – Michael Carrick

Over an extended period at Middlesbrough, Michael Carrick has proven that he is someone who can get his teams playing attractive football. Nonetheless, Carrick’s first managerial posting has been dogged by occasional spells where they have struggled in front of goal and been frail at the back. Backed as one of the favourites for promotion this season, Boro again have been a touch inconsistent, even if they are in a good position to figure things out and charge into contention at the right end of the division.

Michael Carrick loves to get his sides dominating possession and looking to play quick combinations in the final third, willing to risk leaving the team open at the back to make the breakthrough. When it works, Middlesbrough are simply irresistible, when it doesn’t, they are sloppy and a soft touch at the back. There’s a sense that the balance of this team currently isn’t quite right, even if Carrick is close to figuring that out.

Who To Look Out For?

Middlesbrough have quite a big squad, which has been both a blessing and a curse for Michael Carrick. It allows him to tweak things to make it difficult to pin Boro down, but it has sometimes felt like it has led him away from a path of having a settled side that might overcome their inherent inconsistency as a team.

The core of this Middlesbrough side is in central midfield, where Hayden Hackney and Aidan Morris have formed an excellent pairing this season as controllers of possession who can also share responsibilities in getting up the pitch to support attacks. The American, Morris, is hoped to finally be that authoritative presence who can allow Boro to move on from Jonny Howson and has settled into Championship football with ease.

It is a changeable feast elsewhere, although it feels as if in attack, Michael Carrick is starting to settle on Finn Azaz as the team’s creative number ten, Ben Doak on the right wing and Tommy Conway at centre-forward. Azaz is almost an old-school style number ten, who can drift in and out of games but can unlock defences with ease when on form while also possessing an dead shot from range. Doak, on loan from Liverpool, has caught the eye with his dribbling ability since joining this summer and can be pretty tough to contain. Conway, meanwhile, is a goal-poacher style striker, who is starting to find his feet after moving from Bristol City late in the transfer window.

There are further attacking options, in the form of the rapid winger Isaiah Jones, former Manchester City winger, Micah Hamilton, the languid forward/winger, Delano Burgzorg, and the intelligent Australian Riley McGree, who provide Michael Carrick with plenty of options to change things up. In addition, last season’s top-scorer, Emmanuel Latte Lath, is another match-winner on the team’s books, able to lurk on the shoulder of the last defender and finish with confidence, even if he has fallen a little out of favour after being unsettled by transfer speculation over the summer.

In defence, Rav van den Berg continues to impress as someone who can both distribute the ball from centre-back and make interventions when necessary, although is an injury doubt for this game. There are some great options to pick from as Van Den Berg’s partner, with Matt Clarke another great technician at centre-back, or the more physical George Edmundson. At right-back, Anfernee Dijksteel feels a necessary starter at the moment to provide defensive stability to balance out the side, but can be swapped out with the more attack-minded Luke Ayling, when necessary.

In goal, Seny Dieng is both a confident presence between the sticks and excellent with the ball at his feet, perfect for Michael Carrick’s system.

Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost

The decision over whether to start Jack Rudoni at left wing-back or to play a more defensive-minded player in that position feels like a call that may define how this game goes. The worry is that Rudoni may leave that left side of the pitch exposed, allowing Ben Doak to run freely at Luis Binks and stretch the Coventry City back-line. However, starting Rudoni could help the team push Boro back and prevent that threat building in the first place, so it’s not a cut and dried decision.

Coventry City’s game-plan is likely to be fairly similar to what worked against Luton Town, in playing balls into the channels for Ellis Simms and Haji Wright to chase. The success of that strategy may come down to just whether Simms and Wright can sustain the motivation they showed last time out in order to win their physical battles and get Middlesbrough on the back foot. If that doesn’t happen, then this game could be one-way traffic against the Sky Blues.

The question then is whether this defence has any hope of being able to dig in and keep a team out that is building pressure against them. The concern surrounds both the overall discipline of the back-line in avoiding any lapses in concentration that will make things easier for Middlesbrough to create and score, as well as whether Oliver Dovin can provide a presence in goal to fill the defence with confidence. If this game does become one-way traffic, it is hard to see this Coventry side digging in for result.