In order to stay in the top six as the race for a spot in the play-offs heats up among the following group, Coventry City needed to win all three points at Stoke. The Sky Blues are one of three clubs with 51 points, but thanks to a better goal differential of +14, they are comfortably ahead of Norwich and Hull in seventh and eighth position, respectively.
With thirteen games remaining, Sunderland (47) and Preston (49), the CBS Arena’s Friday guests in ninth place and challengers, are not far behind. After a brief comparison with the same stage of the previous season, City had just defeated Sunderland 2-1 to maintain their 11th-place standing with 48 points and a +3 goal differential.
Even while this team may not have the exceptional star qualities of Viktor Gyokeres and Gustavo Hamer, they are still a stronger and more well-rounded unit as a whole, so that should be a major source of hope. The depth of that team, which is currently being put to the test to the fullest extent in midfield, is the only thing that poses a threat to City’s chances of success this season. These are a few more noteworthy talking points from the 1-0 victory.
READ MORE: Andy Turner’s player assessments as Coventry City defeats Stoke well and keeps a much-needed clean sheet
Torp is now listed as injured.
On a day when he was dealt yet another blow to his injury list when Victor Torp confirmed that he had a calf strain, Robins once again demonstrated how thin his team is numerically. The severity of the condition is yet unknown, but it was severe enough for him to become incapacitated following the break. While Joel Latibeaudiere, a versatile defender who started at right-back before switching to midfield when Torp was substituted at halftime, regularly gets in front of the captain in the middle of the park, Liam Kelly is still being overlooked, but it won’t be long until the Sky Blues mainstay is given his opportunity again. The city is obviously overburdened, and the failure to bring at least one or two more persons inside the structure in January might come back to haunt them.
Alteration is just as beneficial as relaxation.
Before the encounter at Stoke, Mark Robins noted that his team had not preserved a clean sheet in eleven games since Wednesday’s 2-2 draw at Plymouth. It seemed as though his remarks were a sign of things to come, and sure enough, he brought back City’s record-breaking goalkeeper Ben Wilson, who had shut out 22 games the previous campaign, to take Brad Collins’ place. Strangely enough, Collins had replaced Wilson in the scoreless draw with Stoke at the CBS Arena back in November.After making the adjustment, the Sky Blues quickly preserved their first clean sheet in 12 games on a day when Wilson had no tough saves to make. Not to take anything away from the keeper, who controlled his area, occupied advantageous positions, and moved the ball well, but in the full 90 minutes, the Potters managed just one attempt on goal, and that was a weak effort straight at him. As was the case last season, City’s defense played an excellent game, preventing goals with headers, blocks, and close tackles. Robins defended his choice by saying that Collins had done nothing wrong and that he simply thought the moment was perfect to make the adjustment. Perhaps a manager’s intuition, and it certainly proved effective this time.Bobby responds to Binksy’s statement.
Bobby Thomas was excellent against the Potters, so it was incredibly nice to see him get back to his previous level of play after Wednesday night’s lackluster defensive effort. It’s interesting to note that Luis Binks was reinstated to the left center-back position after substituting for Liam Kitching against Millwall and Sheffield Wednesday. Kitching had been discarded upon his return from suspension at Plymouth. And after putting on yet another assured and self-assured performance, one wonders if this is the beginning of the Bologna loan player’s long-term tenure with the team. When questioned about his reasoning for changing the central defense, Robins stated that he was looking for new players, even though Kitching was playing in his first game since missing two due to a match ban on Wednesday. Binks will undoubtedly have cause for concern if he is benched against Preston on Friday night following such a strong showing against Stoke, where he was composed and at ease, produced some beautiful forward passes under duress, and—most importantly—put his body on the line for the club.
Simms taking center stage
Ellis Simms, who had been denied a fantastic triple chance in the first eleven minutes by goalkeeper Jack Bonham, Haji Wright, and Callum O’Hare, showed a cool head and genuine composure to slot in his goal that sealed the hard-fought three points against Stoke. It brought his season total to six and followed a determined finish at Plymouth. That’s encouraging enough on its own, but what really stood out was his overall performance. The large front man worked extremely hard, positioning himself upfront and contributing to maintaining the clean sheet by being a crucial presence in City’s box during set-piece defense. This season, he has faced criticism, but he can’t deny that he is a true team player who is gradually gaining the support of his supporters.
Fab Tav evaluated
Due to Tatsuhiro Sakamoto’s illness, Fabio Tavares started his debut Championship game for the Sky Blues and was given a significant opportunity to make an impression. And even though the 23-year-old put in a fantastic cross to the far post to set up three consecutive chances on goal, from which City really ought to have grabbed the lead in the eleventh minute, he waned as the half went on and was eventually replaced by Kasey Palmer. To be fair to the winger, though, City chose to feed Haji Wright and continue to launch most of their assaults down the left, so he made himself available on the right side and didn’t see much of the ball. Since his long-term injury return, the boy has hardly played and is still developing. It will be intriguing to watch how he develops, though, given his lightning-fast speed.
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