Sideways Sammy

It was two steps forward and one back for Coventry City over the past three games, with any positivity built up from back-to-back home wins smashed by a chastening defeat at Norwich City. While the Sky Blues remain in a great position at the top of the league, if they continue to struggle away from home, holding onto their place will become all the more difficult.

This trip to West London to take on Queens Park Rangers is a chance to reboot Coventry’s away fortunes against a middling team in middling form. A change of approach to these road trips may be required but this seems as good a game as any to test out something different.

Expected Line-Up

Monday night’s game at Norwich City highlighted the folly of playing such a wide-open midfield. While the absence of Jack Rudoni limited Frank Lampard’s options to keep things tight in the middle of the park, playing Brandon Thomas-Asante in one of the midfield spots and instructing Victor Torp to push up so high feels like a mistake that shouldn’t be repeated.

With Brandon Thomas-Asante suspended and Jack Rudoni possibly nursing an injury, Frank Lampard may have little choice but to bring in Josh Eccles, which should help balance out the midfield. The next question is whether it’s too big of a risk playing both Ephron Mason-Clark and Romain Esse out wide away from home, with neither either committed or instructed to track back with diligence. Tatsuhiro Sakamoto may well come in for Esse to tighten things up, with a start for new signing, Jahnoah Markelo, unlikely.

Elsewhere, Frank Lampard faces a choice between changing things up in defence after the return of Bobby Thomas did little to improve things at the back or hoping that a back four that hasn’t played much football as a unit in nearly two months will settle down with a run of games together. With there being little quality in reserve at the back, it feels the more sensible move to hope that consistency of selection will lead to consistency of form.

Last Time We Met

It couldn’t have been a more perfect day for Coventry City back in August when they last took on Queens Park Rangers. The day started with the news that the club had secured ownership of the stadium and only got better from there. Haji Wright scored early from a Milan van Ewijk pull-back, with Coventry playing intent, energy and cutting edge. QPR tried their hardest but any positive moments they had were curtailed by another Sky Blues goal.

It was 5-0 by half-time, with Brandon Thomas-Asante scoring once, Haji Wright grabbing another and Jack Rudoni striking twice. The second-half was a complete non-event, with Victor Torp taking the piss out of a beleaguered Joe Walsh in the QPR goal to make it seven. The only blot on the copybook was a late consolation for QPR, with Carl Rushworth flapping at a set-piece delivery to put the ball on a plate for Richard Kone to snaffle in.

The Opposition

The Manager – Julien Stephan

For any manager to suffer such a heavy defeat early in his reign, it can be hard to achieve buy-in but Julien Stephan has done a reasonable job at a Queens Park Rangers side looking to build around young players and thus struggling for consistency. That big defeat seemed to shock both the club and players into action, as they settled into some good form over the autumn to put them on the fringes of the play-offs.

QPR’s form has tailed off recently, coinciding with injuries to a handful of key players. The Hoops have looked to play some good football this season by playing out from the back, but have tailed back some of their ambition in order to get results with the defence being the strongest area of the team – taking that 7-1 out of the equation, they’d rank as one of the best back-lines in the league.

Who To Look Out For?

Queens Park Rangers’ defensive unit is the team’s biggest area of strength, which has meant that despite signing last season’s star loanee, Ronnie Edwards, this January, the centre-back hasn’t yet had a look-in. That has been because the ever-reliable Steve Cook and Jimmy Dunne – a right-back who started his career in the centre – have proved a resolute defensive pairing who excel in throwing their bodies on the line for their team. With right-back, Amadou Mbengue suspended for this game, Edwards could well come in, with Dunne shifted to full-back, offering some quality on the ball at the heart of the defence.

In front of the back-line, the midfield pairing of Jonathan Varane and Nicolas Madsen has been something of a revelation at Loftus Road this season. Varane is a tough-tackling defensive midfielder, which has provided Madsen – once linked with Coventry City – the platform to show his quality on the ball after a shaky first year in England. With Varane injured for this game, it is a choice between the raw youngster, Kieran Morgan, or the veteran, Isaac Hayden, to pair with Madsen.

Further forward, Queens Park Rangers boast a coterie of nimble-footed attacking midfield players. The possible return of the direct, pacey winger, Koki Saito, for this game would be a huge boost for Rangers, someone who has got the better of Milan van Ewijk every time they have faced each other. Harvey Vale and Karamoko Dembele or other fleet-footed players who can produce magic for QPR, even with Ilias Chair out injured, while the hard-working Paul Smyth is valuable in balancing out that area of the pitch with someone to run the hard yards.

Up front, Richard Kone is a bustling centre-forward who hasn’t quite got going in terms of goals for Queens Park Rangers but is someone who provides a big physical presence. With pacey top-scorer, Rumarn Burrell, out injured, there is a suggestion that Justin Obikwu will make his Rangers debut at some point of this game, which would be his first taste of Championship football after failing to make the grade at Coventry City.

Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost

If Coventry City continue to leave such big gaps in midfield whenever they lose the ball, Queens Park Rangers are a team with the pace and quality in attacking areas to take advantage of that. That is what makes this such an important game to test whether this team can rediscover a balance between playing on the front foot without looking so brittle whenever possession is lost.

With Koki Saito possibly starting for Queens Park Rangers in this game, that puts extra pressure on the back five outfield players, as the Japanese winger is someone who can beat Milan van Ewijk for pace, potentially robbing the team of a key defensive sweeper. Whether it’s by dropping a midfielder deeper to provide extra cover, or in the likes of Matt Grimes, Bobby Thomas, Liam Kitching and Jay Dasilva showing better concentration to avoid themselves getting dragged out of position, Coventry risk getting caught out if they continue to play as recklessly as they have recently.

At the other end, Queens Park Rangers can defend with determination, which will make things especially tough if they get their noses in front. Coventry have shown that, when on form, they have the ability press high and catch QPR out playing from the back. If the Sky Blues can get in front, having the likes of Haji Wright and/or Brandon Thomas-Asante running at a stretched Steve Cook looks like a great way to stretch a lead.