Sideways Sammy

Coventry City moved top of the league just before the international break with a third heavy win in a row. Having had what feels like a long time to reflect on this early success, the challenge now is to maintain this excellent form and convert it into a tangible end of season achievement. Coventry are now the team others will both fear and envy, it is up to the players and coaching staff to prove that status is justified.

A three-game week against opponents mid-table and lower and with two of those matches at home feels like a great chance to extend this current run of form. It starts with a home game against a Blackburn Rovers side that have won just once since August but have been good at keeping games tight. There is a hint of banana skin to this fixture for Coventry City, a test of how much this team can hold its nerve at a time where big wins have become the norm.

Expected Line-Up

With Victor Torp and Josh Eccles adding to the longer-term loss of Jack Rudoni last time out, Frank Lampard was able to improvise by playing Brandon Thomas-Asante just behind Haji Wright at centre-forward in what was a highly effective display from the Ghanaian attacker. It is not clear whether there will be anyone in midfield returning, but the manager may be minded anyway to stick with what worked so emphatically against Sheffield Wednesday last time out.

Liam Kitching went off in the previous game with an apparent injury, which potentially opens the door for Luke Woolfenden to make a first start for the club but there has been time for Kitching to recover from that knock. After three clean sheets in a row, Frank Lampard will surely be loathe to make any changes at the back unless absolutely necessary.

The only other area of concern is in what condition some of the international players are after clocking up some travel miles and minutes over the last week. Haji Wright, having travelled the furthest distance of the likely starting line-up for this game, is possibly one to watch, but that may be a consideration later in the upcoming week of games than for this one.

Last Time We Met

Back in January, Coventry City were looking to put some form together to move up the league table and took on a Blackburn Rovers side heading in the other direction. The Sky Blues doubtlessly had Oliver Dovin to thank for the three points they eventually took from this trip to Ewood Park, with the Swede making a string of excellent saves in the first-half to deny a seemingly inspired Makhtar Gueye up front for Blackburn.

At the other end, Coventry took advantage of a nervy debutant goalkeeper, Balazs Toth, who flapped at a high ball towards Ellis Simms to allow the striker to head the away side ahead shortly before half-time. It was game over soon after the break, with Coventry City breaking quickly to allow Jack Rudoni to put the ball on a plate for Brandon Thomas-Asante to tap home. It was the kind of battling, somewhat fortunate win that colours a successful hunt for end of season honours.

The Opposition

The Manager – Valerien Ismael

Arriving mid-way through last season in what felt like a doomed attempt to turnaround a Blackburn Rovers side that were sinking fast, Ismael almost achieved the unthinkable in getting Blackburn into the play-offs on the final day to seemingly achieve some buy-in from players and supporters. The new campaign hasn’t started well for Ismael, not aided by a 1-0 lead against Ipswich Town getting chalked off due to torrential rain, with Blackburn failing to carry that form over and hovering above the relegation places.

Valerien Ismael initially arrived in the Championship at Barnsley a few years ago to play a very aggressive brand of pressing football, but that has mellowed during stints at West Bromwich Albion and Watford. While his sides continue to look to press and impose themselves on opponents physically, Blackburn don’t stand out as one of the more aggressive pressing units in the division. Instead, their approach is based on containment, attempting to overcome what appear to be struggles to create and score in the final third.

Who To Look Out For?

The talented Todd Cantwell seems to have come into his own at Blackburn Rovers over the past year, taking on the club’s captaincy and acting as the creative fulcrum of the team. The lanky attacking midfielder has a real glide to the way he carries the ball and with an edge of physical presence to him, Cantwell is difficult to take possession away from. So much of Blackburn’s play goes through Cantwell that if he doesn’t play well, the team has little chance of scoring.

The rest of the team is largely based around physicality and energy, with Sondre Tronstad and Taylor Gardner-Hickman patrolling the midfield, and the powerful Sean McLoughlin added in defence over the summer. Ryan Alebiosu at right-back is someone who is a threat with their pace carrying the ball from deep, while Ryoya Morishita ahead of him offers plenty of energy off the ball.

Finding the right striker to lead the line has been Valerien Ismael’s chief concern this season, with the goal poacher, Yuki Ohashi, the team’s most likely goalscorer but someone who offers little off-the-ball. This has seen the more physical, Andri Gudjohnsen, added to the team on transfer deadline day, while Augustus Kargbo and Makhtar Gueye are further physically powerful options to add to the mix. Ismael tends to rotate his strike options so the team has a burst of energy to rely on later on as an upwards gear change.

Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost

Coventry City are going to face a physical battle in order to impose themselves on this game against a Blackburn Rovers side that don’t tend to concede many goals. Blackburn are likely to come to the CBS Arena happy to an extent to contain Coventry for much of the game, while looking to use their substitutes later on to spark themselves into a result. With the Sky Blues having less depth, it feels important to try and put this game to bed early, so Blackburn don’t have anything to feed on later on.

As mentioned earlier, Todd Cantwell is the key dangerman to stop for the opposition. In particular, his ability to carry the ball on the counter-attack and release his team-mates in behind is a worry. Matt Grimes is going to have an important role to play in killing off those counters with his positioning and timing in the challenge.

The hope for Coventry City in this game is that Blackburn Rovers will look at times to be aggressive in pushing up the pitch to try and squeeze the Sky Blues with their pressing system. That could provide opportunities to get the likes of Haji Wright, Ephron Mason-Clark and Brandon Thomas-Asante running in behind. As was seen in the Sheffield Wednesday game, having Thomas-Asante’s pace in central areas can create faster opportunities to break. If not, being decisive in picking crosses and passes in the final third will be important to prevent Blackburn dropping off and applying a physical block to their penalty area.