Sideways Sammy

This incredible recent run was always going to come to an end and it looks like it has done so after Tuesday’s disappointing defeat away at Derby County. With nine games remaining, the task now is to recover from that loss and keep the points ticking over (requiring at least four or five wins) to hold onto a top six place by the end of the campaign. The challenge now is that the difficulty is set to increase significantly.

Sunderland visit the CBS Arena with a firm grip on a play-off place but with the chance of making the top two probably already beyond them. Just how that affects their motivation over the remainder of the campaign remains to be seen, but they have shown this season that they are a very good team, the kind Coventry City will have to show they can compete with if they want to stand any chance finishing in the play-offs and achieving promotion. This is a great test of what this Sky Blues side is capable of right now.

Expected Line-Up

The hope is that Tuesday’s defeat at Derby County highlighted several issues that the recent winning run may well have masked. Chiefly, the ease with which teams are getting in behind the defence is looking an increasingly fatal flaw for this Coventry City side. On top of that, there are several areas of the team where Frank Lampard still hasn’t looked to have settled on, while recent injuries and the need to get those returning to fitness up to speed has affected the overall dynamic.

After three games in a row where opponents have been able to get in behind the defence far too easily, Frank Lampard may well be contemplating moving back to a three-man defence which had seemed to steady the ship at the back earlier in the winning run. There are a few drawbacks to playing with three at the back, chiefly that Coventry City don’t really even have two strong first-choice centre-backs, let alone three. That is on top of the likely sacrifice to wide players that have been this team’s biggest source of attacking threat, as well as how playing Milan van Ewijk at right-back rather than right wing-back, allows him to utilise his pace to cover the defence.

Furthermore, the heavy defeats to Ipswich Town and Leeds United last month showed that a back three can be just as exposed for being up the pitch as a back four with the benefit of sticking with a four being the greater attacking threat it affords. That may remain Frank Lampard’s thinking for now, unless a pacey Sunderland forward line really exposes Coventry City here.

In terms of specific personnel decisions, Jay Dasilva looks a chief candidate to come into the team after Jake Bidwell endured a second torrid display in a row at left-back. Ephron Mason-Clark will probably come in for Haji Wright on the left wing, with the latter probably set for a place on the bench after picking up a first 90 minutes in four months in midweek. The remaining decision is in midfield, where Josh Eccles is struggling for form but is being kept in the side due to the absences of Ben Sheaf and Jack Rudoni, plus Lampard’s recent reticence to bring Jamie Allen into the starting line-up, that could change for this game.

Last Time We Met

It was the first game following Mark Robins’ sacking as manager of Coventry City, with the Sky Blues seemingly rather cowed as a result of the sudden change in the dug-out. Away at a Sunderland side who hadn’t really dropped many points at home up until that point of the campaign, the Black Cats raced into a two-goal lead thanks to excellent strikes from Wilson Isidor and Dennis Cirkin.

However, that really didn’t tell the full story of a half in which Coventry City were arguably the better side, or had at least limited Sunderland to very little apart from those finishes of exceptional quality. Fortunately, that played out in the second-half, with Haji Wright pouncing on a loose ball in the box to pull a goal back before he limped off with what proved to be a serious injury. Jack Rudoni levelled late-on after he met a Tatsuhiro Sakamoto cross, in a game Coventry could have won had they greater belief.

The Opposition

The Manager – Regis Le Bris

The Frenchman has proved an inspired appointment for Sunderland, taking a side that had ended last season listlessly in mid-table and turned them into one of the best in the league with relatively little investment in the squad. Regis Le Bris has allowed a number of young players to flourish, focusing on building a solid defensive foundation to allow some of the individual quality in this team to shine, before looking to imprint more control on games as the season has progressed.

An excellent start to the campaign has tailed off somewhat in recent months as a young Sunderland side have struggle to keep pace with the better, more experienced sides leading the division. For all the efforts to become a more composed, controlled side with possession, this is a team that is at its best on the counter, which has become harder to do as teams look to be more disciplined against them. The task between now and the end of the season is to find that balance between control and explosiveness that could be deadly in the play-offs.

Who To Look Out For?

The biggest concern for Coventry City right now are opposition forwards that have explosive pace running in behind, Sunderland’s centre-forward Wilson Isidor is a manifestation of the Sky Blues’ current worst nightmare. The French forward hasn’t necessarily been the most prolific goalscorer this season but he is excellent at peeling off the shoulder of opposing defenders and getting in on goal with his electrifying pace. Capable of some peerless technique with his finishing, he is the kind of striker a team wouldn’t want to be handing repeated opportunities to get in behind.

Sunderland have recently started playing two up top, with the young forward, Eliezer Mayenda, joining Isidor in attack. Another quick player in attack, Mayenda is more focused on getting in scoring positions than Isidor, with his finishing ability fairly streaky. Out wide, Patrick Roberts remains a tricky customer for opponents to deal with due to his dribbling ability, while Romaine Mundle is another quick, skilful attacking player who could cause Coventry City’s defence all kinds of problems if allowed to run in behind.

In central midfield, Jobe Bellingham and Dan Neil are a really well-balanced pairing. Bellingham offers physicality and the ability to get into the penalty area, while Neil can really control possession with his passing ability. The nimble, attack-minded youngster, Chris Rigg, is another option to bring in if Sunderland opt for three in the middle of the park. It helps mitigate the likely absence of big January signing, Enzo Le Fee, who will cost the club £20 million if they get promoted and is someone who has shown he would probably be easily at home in a mid-table Premier League side, or better.

At the back, Sunderland may be without the commanding Northern Ireland international, Dan Ballard, but they have, in Chris Mepham, an experienced, Premier League quality operator to call upon in the heart of the defence in his stead. Mepham will be joined by the hyper-competitive Luke O’Nien, who is somewhat out of position at centre-back but is part of a solid and forceful back four, aided by Denis Cirkin and Trai Hume at full-back, who both excel in their defensive duties. In goal, Anthony Patterson is someone destined for a long top-flight career but has struggled for form recently.

Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost

The big danger for Coventry City here is Sunderland’s pace in the final third and the quality they have further behind in order to get those quick forwards in behind. The Sky Blues will really need to decide whether they look to change their approach by sitting a little deeper than usual to deny the space behind their back-line, or look to press more aggressively to shut those balls over the top off at source. Recently, this team has been doing neither and has looked exposed at the back.

The battle in the middle of the park could have a big influence on proceedings, Coventry City will need to limit Dan Neil’s time on the ball as he is someone who could really dominate the game with his range of passing and open up holes at the back. The question is whether the Sky Blues have the aggressiveness off the ball to assert themselves in the middle of the park, a potential midfield pairing of Matt Grimes and Victor Torp seems a little too passive, even if Torp has the ability to snap into challenges and Grimes can run a midfield if his team-mates allow him to get hold of the ball.

Going forward, Ellis Simms is likely to be instructed to use his greater physicality against to impose himself on Luke O’Nien. Just how Simms deals with a really niggly, cynical opponent could define just how much threat the Sky Blues pose here. Sunderland are likely to be content with funnelling Coventry out wide, if Tatsuhiro Sakamoto and Ephron Mason-Clark can get the better of their respective full-backs, that is something that could swing things in the home side’s favour.