Sideways Sammy

Finishing March with a convincing win at Swansea City means Coventry City are four wins away from making mathematically securing promotion with seven games to go. Realistically, that required points total will drop, leaving the finish line in sight. It is looking to be a case of when and not if, with a big effort over these two Easter games likely to put the Sky Blues within a sniff of the sweet smell of promotion.

The wrinkle is that these upcoming games, just a matter of days after the international break, are the toughest that Coventry have remaining. Any sense of complacency or fatigue could be swiftly punished and leave the Sky Blues still in need of a couple of big performances to see through their promotion ambitions. It starts with a home game against a Derby County side who are excellent on their travels and are firmly in the play-off race.

Expected Line-Up

Frank Lampard will be sweating on the fitness of Jack Rudoni, Brandon Thomas-Asante and Haji Wright, who have all been out with varying levels of knocks in recent weeks. On top of that, Joel Latibeaudiere, Ephron Mason-Clark, Jay Dasilva, Romain Esse and Frank Onyeka were all away on international duty and will have only just returned to the training ground ahead of this game.

In a worst-case scenario, that leaves Coventry City potentially without seven first-choice players for this game. Realistically, a handful of those aforementioned players will be asked to pull through for this match, with the manager looking for one of those last big performances to edge Coventry closer to promotion. That said, this is probably the game to make changes for in consideration of players’ fitness levels.

It is probably in the attacking end of the pitch where squad rotation is likely to be made, possibly with the exception of Joel Latibeaudiere at centre-back, who is just off the back of a long-haul flight. Having one or both of Jack Rudoni or Brandon Thomas-Asante available for this game would be a big boost to the ability of Frank Lampard to manage some of those international returnees. If not, Josh Eccles will probably come into the number ten position, with it being a call between Janoah Markelo and Romain Esse for the left-wing berth to hand Ephron Mason-Clark a rest.

Up front, Ellis Simms will probably continue in the centre-forward berth to help ease Haji Wright back into fitness with Monday’s trip to Hull City on the cards. In midfield, Frank Onyeka has looked a little leggy in recent games and having just returned from international duty, it may be a thought to leave him on the bench to allow Victor Torp to start alongside Matt Grimes here.

Last Time We Met

It was complete chaos at Pride Park back in August as Coventry City saw out a thriller to secure their first win of the season. It started when a devilish delivery from Victor Torp caught out Jacob Zetterstrom in the Derby goal to allow Bobby Thomas to poke home. However, the Rams benefitted from a similar goalkeeping horlicks, from Carl Rushworth, who was beaten at his near-post from a free-kick by Callum Elder at an acute angle. It was 2-2 at half-time, with the teams trading penalties.

Derby County took the lead early into the second-half when Ebou Adams was left unmarked from a long throw to toe an effort while falling backwards past Carl Rushworth. The Rams looked to have dug-in and frustrated the Sky Blues as the half wore on, only for Coventry to level through Brandon Thomas-Asante, after a Bobby Thomas header from a long throw of the away side’s own hit the post.

From then on, Derby mysteriously fell away, allowing Coventry City to stamp their mark on the game and secure the three points. First, a lovely pass from Liam Kitching set Milan van Ewijk free down the right wing, teeing up Ephron Mason-Clark for an easy finish. The win was sealed when Victor Torp was left with space around the penalty area to fire low into the bottom corner.

The Opposition

The Manager – John Eustace

Having taken over Derby County when they were in relegation danger a year ago, John Eustace has the Rams well within the play-off conversation, having overhauled the squad and get them playing in a unified, competitive way. One of the best managers in the division at organising a defence, Derby are an incredibly hard team to break down, meaning they often nick games by a single goal to keep the points tally ticking over.

John Eustace’s style as a manager stands in contrast to what is considered in vogue at Championship level, which is probably why he’s done so well at Derby County. Focusing on defence first and building around older players, Eustace has been able to frustrate opposing teams while getting performances out of players other teams have discarded. Sitting outside the top six, the odds are against Derby making it to the play-offs this year but a win in this game would change some of the arithmetic that is seemingly against them right now.

Who To Look Out For?

About three-to-five years ago, a front-line of Ben Brereton Diaz, Sammie Szmodics, and Rhian Brewster, led by Patrick Agyemang would have struck fear into just about any Championship defence – although they might be confused as to what the former QPR striker, Agyemang, was doing there. While that front four has seen their respective stocks drop, save for the American Patrick Agyemang (not the Ghanaian one), they are forming an effective unit.

Led by the physicality and irrepreisble running of Patrick Agyemang, it provides space for Brereton Diaz, Szmodics, and Brewster to get into dangerous positions. The centre-forward has proved a star turn for the Rams since signing over the summer and is a real handful, especially dangerous now there’s the ability to bring the burly Carlton Morris off from the bench to take advantage of all the hard running that Agyemang puts in.

Behind that front four, Lewis Travis is an excellent spoiler in central midfield, which has allowed former Liverpool youngster, Bobby Clark, the opportunity to show his calibre as a more skilful operator alongside him. Derry Murkin at left-back has added real quality with his delivery when he gets forward, while Joe Ward may not be a natural right-back but is another with excellent crossing ability.

At the back, Matt Clarke is a classy operator who can not only throw his body on the line at centre-back but is excellent at carrying the ball, making him hard to press without getting turned embarassingly. Alongside him, Dion Sanderson has settled into the team after a rocky couple of years, having followed John Eustace to various clubs. In goal, Richard O’Donnell has been keep clean sheets at the age of 37 and having last been seen as Blackpool’s second-choice goalkeeper in League One.

Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost

Derby County are going to come to the CBS Arena to be physical, slow the game down and frustrate – which was the exact formula that Southampton followed succesfully in Coventry City’s last home game. Given how close Coventry are to getting over the line, the first task here is to remain concentrated and solid enough to take at least a point from this game if things aren’t quite clicking in attack. The Sky Blues have bought themselves the luxury of patience with recent results.

Dealing with the physicality and running of Patrick Agyemang in attack for Derby County will be the key concern here, which is going to be about the defence managing ways in which one player can attempt to mark him while others look to provide cover. Bobby Thomas should be a good match-up against Agyemang, with Liam Kitching or Joel Latibeaudiere looking to drop off as the coverer. Of course, that has to be balanced against not entirely focusing on one player, with the likes of Szmodics, Brereton Diaz and Rhian Brewster capable of taking advantage of any space left open by marking Agyemang.

Finding a balance between controlling possession and stopping Derby County settling in defence will be key in making sure Coventry City score in this game. Ephron Mason-Clark will be a huge miss if he’s not available to start here, as his ability to receive the ball into contact down the left wing has often been crucial in Coventry’s ability to break down deep defences. Instead, Romain Esse or Janoah Markelo are going to have to show they can threaten in tight spaces, with Esse probably the better option based on what’s been seen of the two players thus far.