Sideways Sammy

Beating West Bromwich Albion and results elsewhere looks to have reduced the play-off race down to two out of Coventry City, Bristol City and Middlesbrough. With the Sky Blues taking on Boro on the final day, the task over the next two games has to be to ensure that fixture doesn’t become a straight shoot-out for a top six place. Theoretically, back-to-back away games against teams in the relegation zone provides a great opportunity to string some wins together but, at this time of the season, it will be tough playing opponents who have to throw everything at the Sky Blues in order to stay up.

Coventry make the long journey for this Easter Monday game against a Plymouth Argyle side who know that they need a result to avoid being rendered effectively relegated due to their inferior goal difference versus the teams around the bottom three. They are a side that has had every reason to give up at various points of the campaign and haven’t. That Liverpool have been to Home Park and lost highlights that the Sky Blues cannot afford to give any less than they gave on Good Friday if they want to claim a win to hold onto their top six place.

Expected Line-Up

Unless one or two absentees return from injury for this game, Frank Lampard continues to have very little option but to play the same starting line-up as the past two fixtures. As much as the manager will want to rotate a little to try and sustain energy levels over the final few matches, there are only a couple of players out of the starting line-up who are realistic candidates to come into the XI.

The key area to watch is probably in midfield, where keeping Ben Sheaf fit for the remainder of the campaign has to be viewed as a key challenge. The midfielder has freed Matt Grimes up over the past couple of games to push forward and play more aggressively, as seen by Grimes’ scoring in the past two outings. However, Sheaf’s continual breakdowns this season must surely make it a consideration to bring Jamie Allen in his place just to save his legs for two huge games ahead.

Elsewhere, Liam Kitching’s status in the starting line-up may be under threat after looking to have completely lost his head for much of the second-half against West Bromwich Albion, forcing Frank Lampard to take him off late-on. While Kitching’s experience and physicality looks to be valued – especially, with Bobby Thomas currently injured – he has put in several performances lately which would suggest he lacks the mentality to maintain composure in big matches. While he may stay in the team here, another showing like last time and he will surely be out.

Last Time We Met

Coventry City played Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle on Boxing Day and won in incredibly comfortable fashion. Aided by some poor goalkeeping from Argyle’s Daniel Grimshaw, the Sky Blues were ahead early when a tame Tatsuhiro Sakamoto header squeezed past him. It was two not long after, when Josh Eccles smacked in an effort from range and three when a bang in-form Ephron Mason-Clark ran in behind and fired home.

It was game well and truly over before half-time, when Jack Rudoni caught Plymouth Argyle out playing from the back, setting up Josh Eccles to sweep another effort past the hapless Daniel Grimshaw. With Argyle in damage limitation mode in the second-half and Coventry City looking to conserve energy, it became a non-event. The away side went down to ten-men late on when the over-enthusiastic substitute, Callum Wright, picked up a straight red card, but the game had been long over as a competitive contest at that point.

The Opposition

The Manager – Miron Muslic

The Bosnian has cut an inspirational figure in the dug-out since his January appointment, picking up a completely demotivated and out-of-their-depth squad and keeping their survival chances just about alive. Muslic has made the team more competitive, particularly at the back, and while he hasn’t been able to get them winning consistently, they are a more energetic, awkward team unit to play against.

Losing in the injury time on Good Friday at Middlesbrough goes to show how far they have progressed from the team they were back in December, regularly getting thrashed on the road and reliant on their form at Home Park to keep themselves remotely in touch with safety. While they might be bottom of the table, under Miron Muslic, Argyle have been a mid-table side at Home Park.

Who To Look Out For?

The additions of Nikola Katic and Maksym Talovierov in January had added significant muscle in defence for a Plymouth Argyle side that had been on course to concede over 100 goals this season. Both look to be out injured for this game, but Kornell Szucs and Victor Palsson have come in to the back-line in recent matches and shown they can be almost as resolute and make things difficult for strong opposing forwards.

Another key change Miron Muslic has made since taking over at Plymouth Argyle has been in entrusting Conor Hazard to be the first-choice goalkeeper. The Northern Ireland international had been second-choice for much of this two seasons at Argyle, despite being a great shot-stopper, due to his poor distribution. It embodies the focus on battling qualities under Muslic that the focus in goal has moved away from being able to pass to being able to keep out shots.

There is a fair amount of physicality to Plymouth Argyle’s midfield, with Jordan Houghton tending to anchor it, providing the platform for the big, but more more technical, Darko Gyabi and Adam Randell to push up and make things awkward for opponents. Gyabi, on loan from Leeds, along with academy graduate, Randell, look to have the quality to remain Championship players next season, even if Argyle aren’t.

Further forward, a run of fitness from top-scorer, Ryan Hardie, has massively improved Plymouth Argyle’s survival prospects. The Scot can be one of those strikers who does little else in games other than score, but when he is on the pitch, Argyle will feel they can snatch something out of nothing. Alongside him is the more physical, mobile and hard-working Mustapha Bundu, who has shown he can lead the line really well and provide occasional moments of quality. From the bench, the giant Muhamed Tijani can cause problems against tired defences.

Providing that link between the defence and attack are the wing-backs, Bali Mumba and Tymoteusz Puchacz. Mumba in particular is someone who can be very hard to stop when he gets a head of steam, while Puchasz can put crosses in of real quality to those bigger strikers that Argyle have.

Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost

Plymouth Argyle will know that a win in this game will go a long way towards ensuring they have a chance of staying up over the final few fixtures. They are a side that can really frustrate defensively and have shown belief over the past few months that they can nick goals at the other end and put teams under pressure with their physicality and their quicker players. Coventry City have to be able to match the work-rate Argyle put in so that they can stamp their mark on the game with what should be their stronger quality.

Plymouth Argyle are a team that are comfortable having little of the ball, even at home, and soaking up opposition pressure. The challenge for Coventry City here will be in playing through a determined and physical back-line. While the lack of pace Argyle have at the back is an area of opportunity, it may be hard to find opportunities to catch them on the turn. As much as retaining possession in midfield will be important in preventing Argyle finding opportunities on the break, players like Haji Wright and Tatushiro Sakamoto will need to show quality around the penalty area to create and take chances.

At the other end, Plymouth Argyle can cause problems on the counter-attack via their wing-backs and their big, mobile centre-forward, Mustapha Bundu. The worry is if Liam Kitching is caught, as he can be, over-committing himself in challenges that allows the opposition to get free in behind. Argyle tend to play quite narrowly, so the pressure will be on the centre-backs to cut out those counter-attacking opportunities.