Sideways Sammy

A rare goalless draw to end 2024 means that Coventry City enter the new year neither troubled by relegation nor in contention for the play-offs. With two fixtures left to round off the festive period, the sense of where the Sky Blues’ season is heading could change quite quickly, before Frank Lampard has had a change to affect things in the transfer window.

The head coach will know that a couple of wins could transform what has been a solid start to life at Coventry into a platform to push for something exciting this season, however, a couple of defeats in tricky away games could drag the team back towards the relegation scrap. Opponents for this New Year’s Day game, Cardiff City, will be desperate to add another team to that battle for the drop and are buoyed be a rare win in their last fixture.

Expected Line-Up

Frank Lampard has confirmed that Ephron Mason-Clark will be out for ‘a few weeks’, which, as was evident from the Millwall game, leaves the team rather short on explosiveness in the final third. Playing Jack Rudoni on the left wing last time out made it rather easy for the opposition to sit in and defend against Coventry City, while that might not be the case in an away game, having some pace there feels essential.

This could make it a big match for Brandon Thomas-Asante to make an impression in a Sky Blue shirt. The forward has struggled to find a role in the team since signing this summer, lacking the physicality to play as a striker and the control in tight areas to play as a winger. While playing him on his weaker side risks emphasising his technical shortcomings, if he can take up Ephron Mason-Clark’s example of darting in to central, goalscoring positions from the wing, maybe that could be where Thomas-Asante can play himself into form.

The other key change may finally be at centre-forward, where Norman Bassette struggled to get into the game against Millwall. Adding Ellis Simms’ extra physicality up top could help play Brandon Thomas-Asante into scoring areas, as well as just generally change up Coventry City’s attacking threat to prevent opponents slowing them down by forcing them into long spells of possession.

Elsewhere, there may be one or two changes purely for the purpose of keeping things fresh over a packed fixture list. Liam Kitching and Luis Binks may get a look-in at centre-back, with Joel Latibeaudiere either dropping out of the team or being moved to right-back to hand Milan van Ewijk a rest. Additionally, it wouldn’t be entirely surprising if players like Jake Bidwell or Josh Eccles were not in the starting line-up here.

Last Time We Met

It was Frank Lampard’s first game in charge of Coventry City, back at the end of November, when the two CCFCs last met. A bright start offered hope of better things in this new era for the club, but the familiar issue of away teams at the CBS Arena scoring with their first shot on goal occurred yet again as Cardiff City took the lead from a corner-kick routine. Fortunately, Ephron Mason-Clark quickly grabbed his first goal for the club to level the scores before half-time.

A flat start to the second-half saw Cardiff City pass the ball around a statuesque Coventry City midfield, teeing Alex Robertson up to fire an effort through a crowd of bodies and past Brad Collins. That looked like being enough to win the game as the Sky Blues seemed to take an age to lift themselves from their half-time torpor. Fortunately, the referee spotted a handball as Ellis Simms played a cross into the penalty area. Victor Torp stepped up to the spot and salvaged a point for the home side.

The Opposition

The Manager – Omer Riza (Interim)

Cardiff City have been under interim management since the end of September, with no sign of a new man to take the permanent position away from Omer Riza. The coach had impressed early on with his attacking approach and man management skills, but a recent nine-game winless run seems to have highlighted Riza’s unpreparedness for a full-time role as a manager at this level.

The defence has been the issue for Cardiff City under Riza, as they have leaked goals that have dragged them into the relegation zone. Sunday’s win over Watford was the first-time in eight games they have conceded less than two. While goalscoring hasn’t been a problem for Omer Riza’s side, just two clean sheets in his 17 games in charge is the reason why the team has been struggling so badly.

Who To Look Out For?

It is the attacking end of the pitch that is clearly the danger area for Cardiff City. They are led up top by the pacey Callum Robinson, who rather uniquely for a quick forward is also quite niggly and competitive, the kind that can draw cheap free-kicks and wind opposing defenders up to give the team more of a presence in the final third than simply someone who can run in behind.

Cardiff also have an array of skilful attacking players who can feed off Robinson’s presence up top. While the big names among that rank of attacking players are Aaron Ramsey, Chris Willock and Anwar el Ghazi, it is the more youthful trio of Cian Ashford, Alex Robertson and Rubin Colwill that have proved more reliable. Ashford and Colwill are both out of the club’s academy, with Colwill having been around the team for several seasons and is a highly skilful, fleet-footed attacking midfielder who always has a trick up his sleeve, Ashford has less first-team experience but is starting to make an impact with his work-rate and directness out wide, Robertson, meanwhile, is someone who can pick passes from the number ten position.

The aim further back has been to try and be solid and workmanlike to try and give the attacking players the platform to win games. Losing experienced pros in Perry Ng and Joe Ralls to injury has made that task to be solid a little more difficult, with the recent plan being to play the niggly Manolis Siopis alongside Calum Chambers in midfield to provide that defensive solidity in front of the defence. Jak Alnwick in goal can be a good shot-stopper when on form, while Dimitris Goutas can command the penalty area aerially from centre-back.

Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost

Cardiff City’s key area of weakness currently is at full-back, where the combination of their only senior right-back, Perry Ng, being injured and Omer Riza constantly switching between a back three and four has seen them concede a lot of goals recently down the flanks. The question is whether Coventry City can take advantage of that, something that may be difficult if Jack Rudoni continues as the left winger.

This is the first away game since that disastrous trip to Portsmouth, what may be interesting to see if Frank Lampard is as insistent on the the team building from the back as he has been for much of his reign. While it’s likely to be the case that the new head coach will want to implement his Plan A at every possible opportunity, Cardiff City will likely look to press Coventry City high up the pitch as the home team as they look to build on a rare recent win, which could force the kind of errors that cost the Sky Blues so dearly in their last away trip.