Sideways Sammy

It was a frustrating and sloppy performance against Derby County on Wednesday, however, it hardly looked like the end of an era that it has proved to be. Coventry City step into the wild, Mark Robins-less, yonder as they travel to league leaders, Sunderland, needing a result to avoid dropping into the relegation zone. While the decision was taken with the club’s long-term future in mind, moving away from danger has to be a priority, otherwise things could get very toxic very quickly.

The Sky Blues take on a Sunderland side that are unbeaten in seven games, have only once dropped points at home and conceded just two at the Stadium of Light this campaign. This is one of the toughest tests of the campaign, any kind of result would be a positive here.

Expected Line-Up

Just what interim manager, Rhys Carr, has in mind for this game is hard to predict. The coach will only have had one day with which to work with the team, which would make any wild changes in formations or tactics unlikely. The squad will surely have been shocked by the decision to part ways with Mark Robins, which may well be Carr’s biggest challenge ahead of this game.

The biggest call in terms of team selection is whether to stick with the back three that saw the team to wins over Luton Town and Middlesbrough or to opt for the back four that allowed the team to eventually get on the front foot in the final half hour against Derby County. The absence of Josh Eccles through suspension leaves Rhys Carr down to just two senior central midfielders – Ben Sheaf and Victor Torp – which probably makes three at the back more likely than a four.

Making up the midfield three will likely be one of Jack Rudoni or Tatsuhiro Sakamoto. Rudoni is probably the favourite of the two as he provides greater physical presence in what is a tough away game. That is then likely to see Jay Dasilva start at left wing-back.

Elsewhere, the only possible other change would involve Ellis Simms returning to the starting line-up after missing the last two games through injury, with Norman Bassette’s fitness status unclear. If anything, having at least one of them back would significantly strengthen potential options to change things from the bench.

Last Time We Met

Coventry City took advantage of a Sunderland side at the start of a new era after sacking a popular manager, trouncing the Black Cats in comfortable fashion at the Stadium of Light. Sunderland started the game looking the better side, with Abdoullah Ba blazing over from metres out as the home team looked to impress new manager, Mick Beale, but that was pretty much as good as it got for them.

The Sky Blues were ahead just before half-time, when excellent play by Callum O’Hare set Tatsuhiro Sakamoto up to bundle the ball into the back of the net. O’Hare, at the peak of his form last season, was then heavily involved in the move that saw him finish to double the lead. It as three teased his way through the Sunderland defence and turned the ball into the net after Anthony Patterson fumbled his initial effort.

The Opposition

The Manager – Regis Le Bris

Following Mick Beale’s sacking in January, Sunderland saw the campaign out in rudderless fashion under interim management and then spent the summer approaching just about every manager in Europe before they could convince Regis Le Bris to take the job. The Frenchman had an impressive but inconsistent spell in Ligue 1 with Lorient, doing little to engender the sense he was a particularly inspired appointment. From minute one of the campaign, however, Le Bris and this talented young Sunderland side have proved the perfect combination.

With the youngest squad in the division, Regis Le Bris has brought organisation at the back to act as a springboard for players to flourish at the other end of the pitch. The joint top-scorers in the division and the joint third-best defence, Sunderland are a really well-balanced and functioning team unit where everyone contributes both defensively and going forward.

Who To Look Out For?

After selling Jack Clarke at the end of the transfer window, this is a Sunderland team that lacks star individuals and is instead a highly-effective collective. The closest things to star players in this Black Cats side are probably in defence, where Anthony Patterson – who should be set to return in goal for this game after Simon Moore had been filling in – is well-protected by the combative and sturdy full-back pairing of Trai Hume and Dennis Cirkin, at centre-back, the eager Luke O’Nien and Chris Mepham add experience and leadership qualities to what is otherwise a very young team.

The midfield duo of Dan Neil and Chris Rigg are master manipulators of possession. Neil, now a grizzled veteran in Sunderland terms, at 22-years-old, can really dictate games with his range of passing plus his ability to win the ball back. Teenager, Rigg, is given licence by Neil to push forward and make contributions around the penalty area, and has proven one of the star young talents in this country this season.

Jobe Bellingham can either make that midfield duo a trio or operate further forward, possessing his brother’s midfield versatility and penchant for exploding into games at the right moments to make telling contributions. Further creativity comes from the fleet-footed Patrick Roberts, and the explosive talent of Romain Mundle, who has gone a long way to softening the blow of losing Jack Clarke over the summer.

The problem for Sunderland for much of the past two years has been in not having a reliable centre-forward to select, now they have them in abundance. Wilson Isidor has proven another explosive attacking player to call upon after joining on loan at the end of the transfer window, while Eliezer Mayenda has been a key penalty area presence when he’s been fit this season. On top of that, former Brighton youngster, Aaron Connolly, is slowly building up fitness after arriving after the end of the transfer window, meaning they’ve been able to spare out a striker, in Hemir Semedo, to Juventus – well, their B team.

Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost

The combination of the sudden, shock exit of Mark Robins, plus the lack of preparation time for this long away trip makes it extremely difficult to tell what kind of state Coventry City will be in for this game. My suspicion is that Rhys Carr will not be looking to make any radical changes to the side or the tactics, but perhaps he is someone whose tactical nous was only being held back by Robins.

The target for this game probably has to be to keep a clean sheet as a minimum. Sunderland are a prodigiously hard team to score against, especially at the Stadium of Light this season, and if Coventry City fall behind here, that could well be game over. The key to a strong defensive performance is not just about being able to sit in and soak up pressure but have that threat to repel the opposition on the break, Haji Wright is going to be a key figure in making that threat happen.

Sunderland will look to stretch Coventry City through the quality they have on the ball in Dan Neil and Chris Rigg in central midfield, trying to get Romain Mundle and Patrick Roberts out wide isolated against defenders. The choice is either to put Neil and Rigg under pressure to prevent that service or to sit in and deny Mundle and Roberts space. Sticking with a back three should help provide those defensive bodies to block those skilful runners but the Sky Blues will need to be very disciplined to avoid space opening up.