Sideways Sammy

It may have been a little too much to expect Frank Lampard to have made any impact with two training sessions prior to a home game last week against Cardiff City that felt and played out like most encounters at the CBS Arena have this season, with any moments of promise undermined by soft goals conceded and a torturous wait for any kind of response from Coventry City. It leaves the Sky Blues now five games without a win and Lampard close to already needing a victory to ease any pressure on his appointment.

The opposition are a Millwall side who have started the season unexpectedly well and are chasing down the play-off places. The Lions, under Neil Harris, have a clear sense of purpose that allows them to overcome perceived limitations, the kind of ‘greater than the sum of their parts’ outfit that Coventry City currently are not. With just one away win under the team’s belt this season, reversing that for this outing will be quite the challenge.

Expected Line-Up

Frank Lampard reverted to the 4-2-3-1 system against Cardiff City that Mark Robins had attempted to make work over the early part of the season, to similar effect. While there were a few tweaks, such as the full-backs staying narrow in possession and Jack Rudoni floating to the left to free Ephron Mason-Clark to push forward, familiar themes, such as the midfield being overran and the defence lacking protection were apparent. The hope is that a full week in training will allow the new boss to make clearer just what improvements he is looking to make.

It is entirely possible that Lampard will look to avoid making massive changes in personnel during these early weeks of his reign as he tries to ingrain his preferred style of play into the team. If there are to be changes for this game, it may be to find a way to include Victor Torp, who made an impact off the bench against Cardiff City, and possibly in goal, where question marks are already starting to rise against Brad Collins after his recent return to the side.

Victor Torp for Josh Eccles feels the most natural way to include the Dane in the side, however, it risks leaving the midfield even more prone to getting overrun than it already is. Considering that Eccles didn’t cover himself in glory in attempting to close down Alex Robertson for Cardiff City’s crucial second goal last week, the midfielder hasn’t exactly shown his new head coach that he guarantees defensive security. Perhaps Torp’s inclusion might finally lead to a flat midfield three that has always looked likely to provide the best balance for this team but neither Mark Robins nor Frank Lampard have yet thought logical.

As for Brad Collins, it may feel harsh to drop him after conceding two goals last time out that were more to do with failings across the rest of the team than solely himself, however, the goalkeeper returned to his unhelpful habit of unnecessarily parrying every shot and causing panic in the defence. While Oliver Dovin doesn’t exactly guarantee improvement in the position, if there is a time for Frank Lampard to see what the summer signing in goal can do, now feels like a good juncture to restore him to the side.

Last Time We Met

Millwall, under the leadership of current Coventry City coaching staff member, Joe Edwards, started brightly at the CBS Arena back in February, pressing the Sky Blues and putting themselves ahead when Romain Esse fired home from a loose ball in the penalty area – free, thanks to some classic ball-watching from the Coventry defence. However, that early goal proved to be the wake-up call the home side needed to spark themselves into life.

Haji Wright, undeterred by missing a sitter at 0-0, demonstrated just why he is such an important player at Coventry City, leading the response to the deficit. The American drew a foul in the penalty area just after half-time to win a penalty, which he converted, to level the scores. Then, a great run from Callum O’Hare played in Wright, in his classic left wing position, to curl a placed finish past the late Matija Sarkic in the Millwall goal to secure the win.

The Opposition

The Manager – Neil Harris

Having managed to in both League Two and League One last season, Neil Harris was called in from the cold by Millwall to save their campaign after an uncomfortable period with Joe Edwards, who had tried, with limited backing, to get the Lions to modernise their methods. Harris quickly restored the defensively solid, stick to tight margins further forward approach that has defined Millwall since their return to the Championship under his management in 2017 which kept them in the division last year and has led to a strong start this campaign.

While it might be unfair to Neil Harris’ Millwall to typecast them purely as a long-ball outfit, that clear sense of purpose clearly suits a squad that prides itself on its physicality and work-rate. That provides the platform for a handful of skill players to make an impact, which is proving to be a successful approach in South London.

Who To Look Out For?

Millwall’s strength starts in defence, where they are physical and imposing, which can prevent opponents getting on top and is capable of withstanding pressure when required. The challenge for them in this game will be how they contend without the key figures of Jake Cooper, who is injured, and Japhet Tanganga, who is suspended. The giant Murray Wallace will come into the back-line for his first league start of the season, just who pairs him is up in the air, with the veteran, Shaun Hutchinson, an injury doubt, leaving no other senior centre-back available.

Much of the rest of the team is defined by energy and effort over individual skill, embodied by the hard-running midfield trio of Casper de Norre, George Saville and George Honeyman who force teams to match that to find any room in the centre of the park. Up front, Josh Coburn (another injury doubt), Tom Bradshaw and summer signing, Mihailo Ivanovic also embody those qualities in how they look to lead the line.

Where there is excitement in this Millwall side, it comes from out wide, where Romain Esse and Femi Azeez are potential match-winners with their ability to beat defenders, cut inside and contribute goals. Esse, in particular, looks like someone who could soon become one of the leading lights in the division, having enjoyed a breakthrough season as a regular starter out of the academy. In addition, Macauley Langstaff, likely from the bench, is someone who can chip in with goals out of nowhere as a poacher up front.

Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost

What is likely to be a makeshift Millwall back-line presents an opportunity for Coventry City to get in behind and unsettle the home side in this game, provided they can get the ball into the forwards quickly and accurately enough. There is likely to be a shortage of pace for Millwall at the back without Japhet Tanganga to cover, which could be an issue in particular on their left side, with the slow Murray Wallace paired with the extremely attack-minded left-back, Joe Bryan. Whether Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, and his tendency to cut inside and slow play down is the best way to target that or to make use of Brandon Thomas-Asante’s pace might be a call for Frank Lampard to make.

Midfield is going to be the key battle area of the game, with Coventry City having to overcome a very energetic and physical opponent in the middle of the park. While there is no reason why a combination of Ben Sheaf, Josh Eccles, Jack Rudoni or Victor Torp can match that, it has been seen time and again that the Sky Blues can be overrun in the middle, especially in the 4-2-3-1 set-up, where the one behind the striker contributes little defensively and the deeper two get stretched.

Coventry City will need to keep a close eye on Millwall’s wide threat of Femi Azeez and Romain Esse, who have the quality to catch out any slacking at the back. A particular worry is if the Sky Blues fall behind and are forced to chase the game, as that leaves the full-backs prone to getting caught out with balls in behind on the counter once possession is lost, risking leaving the centre-backs being left with a lot of ground to cover.