Sideways Sammy

Those of a Sky Blue persuasion hoping to avoid a cup run this season got their wish last week with a late defeat to a Stoke City side Coventry City were second-best to. The main positive to come from the game being that key players were able to get a rest but it leaves Coventry needing to convert those freshened legs into big performances over the next week to re-assert their promotion credentials.

It starts with a derby game against Leicester City where, for the first time in nearly two decades, Coventry City enter as the most favoured team. The Foxes have been drifting in mid-table with a points deduction possibly hanging over them – whenever the EFL feels likes applying it, apparently. However, the individual quality in their squad makes them a risky team to underestimate. Any hesitation among the Sky Blue ranks could leave them chastened on a big occasion in this game.

Expected Line-Up

With Victor Torp and Brandon Thomas-Asante reportedly fit enough to make the squad for this game, it leaves Frank Lampard in the rare position of being able to pick from a fully-fit complement of players for pretty much the first time since very early in the season – save for the suspended Bobby Thomas. For once, the concern is less about managing the workload and more about which player in each position is suited to the task in hand.

It’s now about finding the right formula to rectify the recent slump in form. The biggest issue of late has been how easy it has been for opponents to get in behind the back-line, which could be difficult to solve in the space of two weeks with no additions in that area of the pitch. The big call is between Luke Woolfenden and Joel Latibeaudiere at centre-back to replace Bobby Thomas, Woolfenden’s lack of pace is a significant concern against a pacey Leicester City attack, which could see Latibeaudiere favoured for this game.

Matt Grimes and Milan van Ewijk having had a good rest since the Birmingham City game is also crucial in rectifying the leaky defence. Grimes has been lacking sharpness and authority of late, perhaps due to missing his preferred midfield partner, Victor Torp, to share the defensive and creative workload. Van Ewijk, while he got ten minutes against Stoke City, will hopefully be fresh and ready to play an important role sweeping behind the defence from right-back.

Further forward, Frank Lampard has options to replace the out-of-form Jack Rudoni. That could involve Josh Eccles starting in an advanced role to do some important pressing and harrying in a derby game or maybe even Romain Esse to add pace and unpredictability through the middle. Brandon Thomas-Asante is unlikely to be in contention to start with this possibly being his first involvement in a matchday squad since November.

The final big call is in attack, where goals continue to elude Haji Wright and Ellis Simms is scoring at an impressive ratio to minutes played. Lampard may well continue to favour Wright here as he is still showing an ability to get on the end of chances. Once one goes in, it feels like the American will be ready to go on a scoring streak.

Last Time We Met

Coventry City will probably reflect on September’s trip to the King Power Stadium they showed Leicester City a little too much respect as they held out for a 0-0 draw. The context was Leicester being recently relegated and having started the season fairly well, while this was Coventry before that incredible run from late September to November that propelled them to the top of the table.

In a game of few chances, Leicester had the better of them. It was an important game for Carl Rushworth, who finally proved his quality after a shaky start for the club, to keep the Foxes out. The big moment being when Jordan Ayew played Stephy Mavididi in space for Leicester in the second-half, but the latter snatched at his finish when a goal looked certain.

The Opposition

The Manager – Marti Cifuentes

Whether Marti Cifuentes is doing an underwhelming job at Leicester City or he hasn’t been handed the resources to succeed is hard to tell. The Foxes have been in middling form for much of the season, relying on individual moments to win games when they can but lacking inspiration otherwise. Unlike the last time they were at this level, there is a shortage of star players to rotate between to bail them out of matches often enough to sustain a play-off push.

Cifuentes tends to build teams that are solid defensively and can hurt teams on the counter-attack. While that is theoretically an effective formula with this Leicester team packed with former Premier League defensive players and rapid attacking players, they simply haven’t gelled as a cohesive team unit – perhaps the result of not really being able to recruit to plug holes in the team due to financial restrictions. Unless something changes, Leicester’s mooted points deduction could place them at risk of slipping into the relegation battle.

Who To Look Out For?

The one good piece of transfer business that Leicester City have produced this season has been in bringing in midfielder, Jordan James, on loan from Rennes. The former Birmingham City midfielder has been a key source of goals for a team otherwise lacking a goalscorer, either from crashing the penalty area late or excellent strikes from long-range. Without James, Leicester really would be in a relegation battle.

The other star turn for the Foxes is winger, Abdul Fatawu. The Ghanaian forward has produced some of the most stunning moments of individual genius in the Championship this season to win important points for Leicester. A pacey winger with an eye for the spectacular, he is someone likely to relish Coventry City’s high defensive line.

Elsewhere, it’s a collection of ex-Premier League players who can occasionally turn things on. With Jordan Ayew the team’s de facto centre-forward – another threat running in behind – and Bobby De Cordova-Reid capable of winning games but seemingly frustratingly inconsistent. Winger, Stephy Mavididi, also fits into that category but seems to be enduring a crisis in confidence.

Marti Cifuentes has also turned to the club’s academy to plug some of the gaps in the squad. The star name is winger, Jeremy Monga, who is similarly rapid and full of skill to Abdul Fatawu but is being blooded carefully as he is still just 16 years old. Louis Page and Olabade Aluko are others who’ve been handed chances by the manager.

Caleb Okoli is a classy and physical presence at the heart of the defence, paired with the ball-playing Ben Nelson. Ricardo Pereira at right-back is excellent on the ball, while Oliver Skipp plays an important role in midfield sitting in front of the back-line in an attempt to balance the team out.

Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost

Take the derby and Leicester City’s recent Premier League status out of the equation, this is a home game against a mid-table Championship side that is lucky to be as high as 12th in the division. However, it is hard to write-off some of those qualities about Leicester which will make this a harder game than it appears on paper.

The big concern is that Leicester have a load of pace up front and Coventry City have shown recently that they are incredibly poor at defending counter-attacks. The match-up between Abdul Fatawu and Jay Dasilva could define the game. On top of that, the ability of Liam Kitching plus his defensive partner to recover from balls played over the top or even that of the midfield to stop those passes being played in the first place. If Coventry play like they have recently, committing bodies forward without pressing opponents with intensity, they will be picked off on the break here.

Frank Lampard will be hoping to see more inspiration in open play from the team’s attack in this game, which probably involves Jack Rudoni being taken out of the line-up as he’s been slowing play down for much of the time since his return. That being said, Leicester City are one of the worst sides in the division at defending set-pieces and grabbing a goal from such situations could be vital in allowing Coventry to either settle into the game or getting back into it if Leicester snatch a lead.