Sideways Sammy

Let’s be clear, the aim for Coventry City this season is to stay up and anything above 17th in the division has to be classed as a bonus. Yes, Sunderland finished in Europe last season, however, that brought to an end a run of two consecutive seasons where all three promoted clubs survived in the top-flight. There can be no illusion that simply remaining a Premier League club will represent success for Coventry this season.

In terms of how that will be achieved, it seems sensible to suggest that somewhere in the region of 30-35 points will be required for safety, unless it proves to be a remarkable season for a survival points tally in either a positive or negative direction.

This is a division with a very clear food-chain – albeit slightly distorted by recent seasons where Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea have finished in the bottom half – of the traditional big five teams, plus Tottenham Hotspur, who tend to compete for Champions League football, along with the likes of Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion and Newcastle United who have closed the gap on those heavy-hitters recently, the three promoted clubs sitting at the bottom, with the remaining eight clubs fairly interchangeable somewhere between the relegation battle and mid-table.

Crucial to the Sky Blues staying up is how they’re able to compete against the two other promoted clubs, along with the eight teams in the middle. Win every home game against those ten teams, and it would only require 5-10 points from the other 28 games to attain a realistic survival total. Of course, football isn’t as simple as that but it highlights that the margin for error this season will widen significantly if Coventry can maintain strong home form against the bottom half of the division.

The task this season will be about making sure this team is ruthless when chances present themselves to pick up wins and is resilient enough to eke out points in the tougher games, or even simply ensure that confidence isn’t dented on the inevitable occasions this team is outclassed.

The first three games of the season perfectly encapsulates this challenge for Coventry City of switching between a battling mentality and a winning one. Away trips to Arsenal and Manchester City could well be the toughest this team is going to face this campaign, but with a home game against Hull City sandwiched between them, that ability to completely switch up mentality and tactical approach will be under stern inspection.

The early part of this season is going to be about getting those first couple of wins on the board as early as possible to demonstrate to both the players and the fans that this team can compete in the Premier League. An away trip to Tottenham Hotspur aside, there isn’t necessarily too much to fear after the Manchester City away game and until the away trip to Manchester United in early December. That period feels like it’s going to be valuable in getting further points on the board, ensuring a buffer when the tough games return.

Without going over the rest of the campaign in micro-detail, important milestones this season will be; getting the first win, surpassing Derby County’s points total, reaching Christmas outside of the relegation zone, having a buffer of over three points to the bottom three for the rest of the campaign. Not that Coventry City as a football club is averse to the concept of a final top-flight survival battle but it would underline how much this club has changed if fans can walk into their seats at the end of next May, looking forward to a pressure-free match against Nottingham Forest.

Survival is clearly the goal for Coventry City this season and it is an eminently achievable one, depending on how quickly this team can switch from a division-winning mentality to a staying-in-the-division mentality. It is a challenge that doesn’t have to be approached with fear, just one that will test different credentials to what last year did.