Sideways Sammy

Another campaign kicks off for Coventry City, one where the Sky Blues will be expected to contend towards the upper echelons of the Championship table as they look to build on last season’s 5th-placed finish and make up that gap between themselves and the promotion-winners at this level. It might not have quite been the summer full of ambition some were hoping for but this is already a strong squad that is evolution, rather than revolution, away from making the step up.

It all begins with a home game against a Hull City side expected from the outside to struggle but are internally rather ambitious. In a week in which Coventry City have attempted to lure their vice-captain, Charlie Hughes, Hull may be travelling to the CBS Arena looking to prove a point that there isn’t the gulf between the two teams that many pre-season predictions anticipate. While there are 46 games ahead, this first one feels like a useful marker as to where ambitions may lay. This is the kind of match Coventry should be winning regularly this season but there’s always a chance that a cornered Tiger can show its claws.

Expected Line-Up

With only three new faces added over the summer, the team that lines up for this opening game of the season is going to look very familiar to the one that came so close to edging past Sunderland in the play-offs four months ago. Carl Rushworth in goal is the only certainty among the new signings to start here, with Kaine Kesler-Hayden an injury doubt and Miguel Angel Brau having been used sparingly in pre-season.

The hope is that the addition of Carl Rushworth while Oliver Dovin is out injured will provide the kind of assurance in goal this team had missed in the Swede’s absence. With no major additions in defence, Rushworth may well be required to be on form from the off here to cover any lapses in concentration that a back-line featuring Bobby Thomas, Liam Kitching and Jay Dasilva is susceptible to. With Kaine Kesler-Hayden having limped off the final pre-season friendly, the question may be whether Milan van Ewijk is handed the start here, in spite of transfer speculation, or the suboptimal solution of Joel Latibeaudiere is utilised instead.

In midfield, it looks like Frank Lampard will turn to the pairing of Matt Grimes and Ben Sheaf for the early part of the campaign. Victor Torp might be pushing Ben Sheaf for his place, but the latter may be preferred for that extra physical presence he provides in order to free Matt Grimes to focus on dictating the play from deep. Jack Rudoni missed the final pre-season friendly, seemingly to have a rest rather than for injury or transfer reasons, so should start in the final, advanced midfield position.

With Tatushiro Sakamoto and Ephron Mason-Clark looking set to start in the wide positions, the last big decision to be made is who plays at centre-forward. Haji Wright looks first-choice currently but has missed most of pre-season through injury, that could open the door for either Ellis Simms or Brandon Thomas-Asante to stake an early claim for that lead role this season, with the latter having started the final friendly, which is probably an indication of where Frank Lampard’s preference lays.

Last Time We Met

Coventry City could have gone a long way towards saving themselves some final day angst had they held onto their lead at a shaky Hull City side back in April. There was little between the two sides up in Hull for much of the game, with Coventry probably the better team overall. When Matt Grimes put the Sky Blues ahead just after half-time, with an effort that took a horrible deflection off Charlie Hughes, past the inspired Ivor Pandur in the opposing goal, that looked set to be that.

However, Hull claimed a vital share of the points in their efforts to stay in the Championship when Abu Kamara broke the Coventry City offside trap and benefited from a horrible deflection of his own, with his shot ricocheting off Jay Dasilva past the hapless Brad Collins to make it 1-1.

The Opposition

The Manager – Sergej Jakirovic

The Bosnian was appointed over the summer after Hull City dispensed of the services of the highly-rated Ruben Selles. Sergej Jakirovic has largely managed in the Balkans, where he has a strong track record with some of the bigger clubs in that area of the world. Second-tier football in England will provide a different challenge but the pre-season signs have been positive with a record of five wins from seven, for what that’s worth.

The headline at Hull City this summer hasn’t been the manager, however, but a transfer embargo which has somehow seen them sign eight new players as owner, Acun Ilicali runs the club in his typical, chaotic fashion. The squad is probably better than pre-season predictions of relegation, the question being whether the sense that decisions are made erratically by Ilicali will derail the team. With the right manager in charge, this Hull side should be comfortably mid-table. It may soon become apparent whether Jakirovic is that right manager.

Who To Look Out For?

If Hull City are to improve on last season, a key area they will look towards is likely to be in attack, where they both struggled for goals last year and were beset by injuries. Key wingers, Liam Millar and Mohamed Belloumi, may remain out injured, but a couple of fresh faces in the attacking area give the team hope of improving their goal threat. The headline name being the addition of former Sheffield United striker, Oli McBurnie, who has broken double-figures in his past two seasons at this level.

This game is probably too soon for McBurnie to start, with the Hull City attack likely to have a familiar look to it, with Kasey Palmer operating as the number ten behind the energetic Kyle Joseph, and the pacey Abu Kamara on the right flank. On the left, Sergej Jakirovic will have to choose between the Manchester City loanee, Joel Ndala, or the youngster, Nathan Tinsdale, with the latter having the edge if recent pre-season selections are anything to go by.

Further back, a midfield pairing of Matt Crooks and John Lundstram provides energy and physicality that should make Hull tough to break down. Former West Bromwich Albion defender, Semi Ajayi, adds to Hull’s forcefulness at the back, with the club likely to be keen to start Coventry City target, Charlie Hughes, who is likely to captain the team too. Hughes adds a bit of class on top of being physically strong, all of which should provide a platform for Cody Drameh and Ryan Giles to get forward from the full-back positions.

With Ivor Pandur in goal a strong shot-stopper, Hull City really have the potential to be thorny opponents on the road, a team that is unlikely to conceded many goals.

Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost

This looks set to be a first test of whether this Coventry City side can control a home game with enough threat in the final third to be able to put the result to bed. Hull City are a physical side with the ability to really dig in and are likely to be fairly confident they have the mettle to at least keep a clean sheet. Should the Sky Blues fall behind, there is every chance this could become a highly frustrating 90 minutes against a tough opponent to break down.

Having either Milan van Ewijk or Kaine Kesler-Hayden start at right-back feels important in being able to get past Hull’s tough defensive make-up. Ryan Giles at left-back for the Tigers is probably the weakest area of their defence and if he can be isolated against a pairing of Tatsuhiro Sakamoto and an overlapping full-back, that could be where the Sky Blues can look towards dragging Hull’s defence across the pitch.

Brandon Thomas-Asante looks the preferred option at centre-forward while Haji Wright searches for fitness, however, this might not be quite the right game for him. Against a bruising physical defensive pairing of Charlie Hughes and Semi Ajayi, Thomas-Asante could really struggle to make his presence known, either in getting the team up the pitch or trying to attack crosses. Ellis Simms might be the better choice – especially as it would allow Wright or Thomas-Asante to attack the game with pace later on as substitutes – but it doesn’t seem like Frank Lampard sees it that way.

Talking of substitutes, Oli McBurnie could be Hull’s ace in their sleeve to play. A physical, energetic centre-forward, he could really take advantage of tired legs at the back later on if the game is tight. Coventry City have to ensure the game is in their favour before McBurnie has a chance to be an influence.