Coventry City news from CoventryLive: Adi Viveash, the talented coach and assistant manager of the Sky Blues, is trying to create another winning FA Cup strategy to defeat a Premier League team.
Adi Viveash assisted Mark Robins in orchestrating the spectacular and unforgettable FA Cup quarterfinal triumph over Wolverhampton Wanderers while Coventry City delivered the upset of the round.
The Sky Blues caught the Wolves off guard with a formation manager Gary O’Neil was ill-prepared for. As a result, ten minutes into the match, his custodian appeared to be “injured,” and the outfield players rushed to the technical area to receive instructions on how to reorganise against the Championship team while the physiotherapist gave him “treatment.”
The key question at hand is whether City’s renowned coach can devise a new strategy to upset Manchester United, who are heavy favourites to advance to the championship. It should be an amazing day for the fans and a major occasion for former United striker Robins against his old club, despite the odds being stacked against them.
Was Viveash hoping City would have been drawn against the Blues considering he spent almost ten years coaching the Chelsea Academy and development team before moving to Coventry?
The 54-year-old stated, “For me, no,” in an exclusive interview with CoventryLive, disclosing his boyhood allegiance. As a supporter of Liverpool, I’ve always believed we’ll win the match between Man Utd and Liverpool. When Man United took the lead, I thought we would win because I was listening to the game on the radio while I was driving back.
“Because Brad Collins, Kasey Palmer, and Jay Dasilva all began their careers in Chelsea, I wanted Chelsea for them. We would have had affiliated players Bobby Thomas and Ellis Simms if we had been a part of Man City. However, you get Man United, and the manager clearly has a lot riding on this game.
“To be honest, I didn’t want any of them, but it’s an incredible occasion and to see Coventry’s name with those three teams is incredibly special for the people of Coventry,” he continued, laughing.
When asked how you prepare the players for a task this difficult, Viveash says he takes inspiration from Wolves’ experience. Whether it’s providing as much information as possible in minute detail or simply hoping that everyone sticks to their individual jobs on game day and that United has a rough day, it all comes down to that.
It’s difficult enough to play a Premier League team like Wolves, he admitted, but when you go to their stadium, you start to consider the things that will give you the advantage.
You have to be honest and admit that a significant portion of the game was played because their best player, Neto, was out and Cunha was hurt. We noticed that Newcastle had scored three goals against them, two of which came from ferocious counterattacks. This indicates that they have excellent technical players and a lot of players going forward, but our players will occasionally find themselves one on one, as was the case during the match.
“After that, you expect us to play ten to fifteen percent more than usual and must put on our best show of the season as a team. For ninety minutes, you want Championship players to play like Premiership players, and for the most part of the match, they did.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we went after Wolves.” You can tell we went after them when your XG is 4.7 goals and they haven’t had that against them all season. We do try to press, and the players showed bravery in their game plan. It hasn’t always gone exactly as we had hoped, but it has occasionally worked. All of those elements combined with the way we entered the game.
Sky Blues at Wembley – get your copy now!
Under the direction of Mark Robins, who has led Coventry City to their first FA Cup semifinal since winning the prestigious competition in 1987—still regarded as the Sky Blues’ pinnacle of achievement—the team is still creating new history.
Only the second time in club history have City advanced to the final four at Wembley, where they will take on the formidable Manchester United on Sunday, April 21, after defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers approximately 37 years later in the quarterfinals.
The Coventry Telegraph has created a massive 40-page souvenir publication to commemorate the accomplishment. It features exclusive interviews with Mark Robins, his dependable assistant, and head coach Adi Viveash, in addition to a look back at the 1987 journey to Wembley.
Hear how former Manchester United striker Robins feels about using his managerial acumen to take on the team he still loves and supports from his playing days. You’ll also hear how renowned coach Viveash of City helped set up Wolves’ demise and his intriguing strategy for defeating elite Premier League opponents twice. He’ll discuss strategies, focus, mental exercises, and, of course, one of the most important components of success: belief!
“Their goalie obviously went down early on, and because of the change in shape, they had a tactical meeting on the side of the pitch,” he continued. The secret is to catch them on two or three tactical details, and that’s what our setup did. The nice thing about that is that even with Joel (Latibeaudiere) in the game, you would have assumed we were playing a back three because we had wing-back players on the pitch. That’s what got them, then. We then performed incredibly well.
“The semi-final will see the same thing. On our way home from games, we’ve watched them while riding the bus. The players are fully aware of Man United’s potent front four, but you also understand that the game can end in the blink of an eye, with all due respect. It’s comparable to the two goals Wolves scored against us very quickly, demonstrating the different level even in that victory.
“However, I believe it will be really intriguing if we can perform better than Wolves and demonstrate that we are a cohesive team on the biggest stage using players who are accustomed to playing at Wembley. That will bring you closer to them, but how?
“Obviously, the Premier League players will win nine times out of ten if they play to their best and we play to our best. However, nine isn’t ten. Furthermore, belief is important and exists within the group.
“The boys will feel like it’s a big stage for them, and the belief from Wolves will have increased.” As we have always stated, our goal is to grow the team and qualify for the Premier League. Some players progress more quickly than others, but that’s just part of life.
“The centre backs and strikers will receive a lot of media attention, and the game will expose people to a variety of media outlets.” It’s a win for the guys here, in my opinion. It goes without saying that you don’t want to be humiliated, advance to the semifinals, and endure a really trying afternoon. However, I’m confident that they will be totally focused when they arrive.
“The fact that the Wolves knew it was Dennis Lawrence’s (our coach) final game gave them an advantage over us all because he was a very well-liked coach.” We are going to miss this wonderful man so much. Thus, that was an additional component included in that game.
“And the scenes in the dressing room afterwards were really memorable, and it was a lovely experience to cherish with him. Thus, we have more information from that, and the psychological information is significant.
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