Sideways Sammy

A chastening home defeat at the hands of Leeds United has highlighted just how wide the gulf is between Coventry City and the very top of the Championship. Still, to be three points off the top six at this time in the season means there is plenty of time to reduce that gap. With a huge game in the play-off race against Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday, it renders this FA Cup tie with Ipswich Town low down on the Sky Blues’ priority list.

The Tractor Boys are likely to have similar feelings about this game, with their immediate priority being staying in the Premier League after going big in the January transfer window amid a poor recent run of results. With the deeper squad, packed with players who got promoted from the Championship last season, Ipswich are the favourites, but a lack of familiarity can go a long way towards levelling the playing field between two teams in different divisions.

Expected Line-Up

With there being a need to keep players fresh for Tuesday night’s big game against Queens Park Rangers, it seems highly likely that Frank Lampard will ring the changes for this FA Cup tie. Moving from a back three to his preferred 4-2-3-1 system would seemingly give Lampard greater breathing room to change things up, perhaps with an eye on moving back to that formation over the coming games.

The selection in goal will be the bellwether of Frank Lampard’s mind-set for this game. While it made sense in the previous round to keep Oliver Dovin in place to allow him to build a run of form in place of the ousted Brad Collins, the latter may get a run-out here if the head coach is feeling charitable. Given what looks to be an obvious disparity in quality between the two, playing one rather than the other would demonstrate just how seriously this game is being taken.

At the back, Luis Binks and Jay Dasilva look certain to come into the team in order to allow others a rest. Bobby Thomas and Milan van Ewijk will probably continue in their respective positions, although Jack Burroughs could be given a start here to allow Van Ewijk a rare afternoon off and as perhaps the only chance for Burroughs to show what he can do ahead of his contract expiring in the summer.

In midfield, this would have been a great opportunity to integrate Matt Grimes into the starting line-up, instead, Josh Eccles may be the main beneficiary of the squad rotation in order to stake a claim and an important juncture before the competition for places gets too intense. Norman Bassette is another who could do with a big performance given how he’s fallen behind in the pecking order up front, with Haji Wright soon to return to fitness.

The only wrinkle with moving to a 4-2-3-1 is who to play on the left wing, with Ephron Mason-Clark and Haji Wright unlikely to be fit enough to start, or even make the bench. With question marks over Raphael Borges Rodrigues’ fitness, Jack Rudoni is the likeliest option, but, like in other areas of the team, this may be a chance to throw someone in to see what they’re capable of in a low-pressure environment.

Last Time We Met

Ipswich Town were on the verge of promotion when they travelled to the CBS Arena back in April, to take on a Coventry City side who were running on fumes after that recent FA Cup semi-final and had nothing left to play for after letting the chance of making the top six pass them by. The Tractor Boys were ahead early when Wes Burns raced in behind Jay Dasilva and picked out Kieffer Moore in acres of space around the penalty spot, untracked by any of the many Coventry defenders who should have been in position to stop him.

Ipswich’s nerves began to show as the game wore on and Coventry City settled into the match. Kasey Palmer found a pass through the Ipswich midfield mid-way through the second-half to find Haji Wright in space in the penalty area to finish powerfully to level the scores. However, the Sky Blues returned to a charitable mood, conceding five minutes later from a corner-kick.

An Ipswich Town party was nearly spoiled in the dying embers, when Coventry City youngster, Aidan Dausch, nearly looped an audacious effort over Vaclav Hladky in the opposing goal, but the Sky Blues never looked to have had enough in the bank that night to deny an opposition playing with a sense of fate on their side.

The Opposition

The Manager – Kieran McKenna

Having transformed Ipswich Town from League One also-rans into a Premier League side, Kieran McKenna’s stock was at its highest in the summer when he was linked with both the Chelsea and Manchester United jobs. While the Northern Irishman has endured a tough time in the top-flight this season with a squad that is probably not quite good enough for the league, he is someone who looks destined to manage in the upper echelons over the long-term, whether with Ipswich or someone else.

The key to Kieran McKenna’s success at Ipswich Town has been in having a very clear first-choice system of a 4-2-3-1 that becomes a back three when in possession with players having defined roles in that set-up. Playing at a higher-level, and having signed 17 players since promotions, has tested the strength of that system, with the sense being that McKenna has struggled to settle on a preferred starting XI as he battles between having faith in his set-up and adapting to playing stronger teams.

Who To Look Out For?

Ipswich Town seem likely to name a heavily changed team for this game with an FA Cup run probably the last thing they need right now with their place in the top-flight at risk. Their aggressive strategy in the transfer market, however, means that any team they field here is likely to be strong relative to what Coventry City will put out for this game, featuring plenty of players who are very good at Championship level, if not a little better.

It is in attacking areas where Ipswich Town have a lot of strength in depth right now and can switch things up without sacrificing too much quality. Although star striker, Liam Delap, is likely to be rested here, George Hirst is an able deputy as a big physical presence who can link the play to get an array of fleet-footed wingers/attacking midfielders into the game. With the fleet-footed pairing of Jack Clarke and Jaden Philogene likely to come into the team here, Ipswich are likely to feel they’ll have a way through via their dribbling ability.

Further back, a pairing of Kalvin Phillips and Jack Taylor in central midfield should be able to keep things tight in front of the defence. Meanwhile, January signings, Ben Godfrey at centre-back, and Alex Palmer in goal are likely to be handed first starts for the club here, ahead of potentially becoming starting players in the Premier League games to come.

The big question for Kieran McKenna heading into this game is whether to start the crucial Leif Davis at left-back, whose forward runs and crosses from that position are the foundation of the team’s system. Former West Bromwich Albion man, Conor Townsend, is a steady deputy for Davis but Ipswich really aren’t the same team without Davis’ attacking instincts and quality from left-back.

Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost

Coventry City would probably be entitled to feel they’d have a decent chance of beating Ipswich Town, given that they are the home side and the opposition will likely view the FA Cup as a low priority. However, the Sky Blues’ concerns over their respective league campaign means that they may not put out a team strong enough to take advantage of any lack of motivation and familiarity among the Ipswich ranks.

The chief concern for Coventry City in this game is being able to keep Ipswich Town’s stock of skilful attacking midfielders quiet. The Sky Blues have had a habit recently of giving teams a lot of space to exploit between the wing-backs and centre-backs, that could be eased by switching to a back four, but it then puts a lot of responsibility on the midfield to keep track of Ipswich’s runners from midfield to prevent the defence being overwhelmed. The potential full-back pairing of Jack Burroughs and Jay Dasilva against the likes of Jack Clarke and Jaden Philogene feels could well be a complete mismatch.

The opportunity here is to target a lack of confidence and rhythm in this Ipswich Town side if they make the swingeing changes to their starting line-up, as expected. In particular, looking to target Ipswich’s build-up play early in the match could really unsettle them, which feels like a job Norman Bassette up front could really relish. If Coventry can successfully win the ball back high up the pitch, the question then is whether they’ll have the quality to create and score the chances that may lead to.