Coventry City’s manager, Mark Robins, is aware that his players need as much rest and recuperation as possible before facing Swansea on Friday night. The team is getting ready for the third of four games in the span of a busy ten-day festive schedule.

After defeating Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland in back-to-back games, the Sky Blues would be well-positioned to start the New Year against Middlesbrough on Monday with three more points.

The selection of the Robins’ starting lineup is contingent upon the availability of defender Liam Kitching, who was sent off with a straight red card for allegedly violent behavior on Boxing Day, and the health of midfielder Ben Sheaf, who sustained a nasty gash at the Stadium of Light just before Christmas and required 19 stitches. The center-half’s dismissal, which comes with an automatic three-match suspension, was promptly appealed by City, who are now waiting to hear whether or not the player can play against the Swans.

After Tottenham’s victory, De Zerbi said he was “lucky to be coaching Brighton players,” and the Robins became a meme.

This season, City fans have been treated to regular post-match videos produced by the club’s skilled media team, called “City Unseen.” These videos offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse at matchdays, including player arrivals at the stadium, banter in the tunnel as they warm up, and celebrations after the final whistle. The widely watched video package reached new heights at Sunderland, where manager Mark Robins displayed his sense of humor by stooping down and grinning as he looked down the camera’s lens as the players were being filmed returning to the Stadium of Light dressing rooms following their thrilling 3-0 victory.

Supporters pounced on the manager’s spontaneous appearance, which went viral on social media and prompted some fans to quickly make a meme.

outstanding after both at home and away

According to Jim Brown, the club’s official stats man, City’s festive gate of 29,208 was the largest at the CBS so far this season and their largest Boxing Day home crowd since 1969 when 32,649 watched the Sky Blues defeat Ipswich 3-1.

The attendance on Tuesday was the third-highest crowd for a Championship match of the day, after Southampton vs. Swansea (30,279) and Ipswich vs. Leicester (29,410). Remarkably, it ranked sixth on the list of England’s highest attendances of the day, behind Premier League teams Manchester United vs Aston Villa (73,574), Sheffield United vs Luton (31,041), and Newcastle vs Nottingham Forest (52,270).

At the halfway point of the season, the Sky Blue Army, who have been supporting their team in large numbers, have the fifth-highest average attendance in the division (2,404) on the road. That’s only six points behind Ipswich Town, which is ranked fourth. Leeds United leads the Championship standings with 3,027, followed by Leicester (2,467), Sunderland (3,015), and other teams.

It’s interesting to note that with an average of 975 from their 12 away games played thus far, Swansea, the team visiting CBS Arena on Friday night, is at the bottom of the standings.

A number of City players were selected in the official Sky Bet Championship Team of the Week for back-to-back games against Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland during the holiday season, which aligns with the team’s improved performance and form.

Tatsuhiro Sakamoto was one of four Sky Blue players to be included after results on December 23 along with Callum O’Hare, Brad Collins, and manager Mark Robins. Sakamoto scored the opening goal against the Black Cats on Saturday and then braced the team on Boxing Day to defeat the Owls. Sakamoto was named twice.

Collins’ choice is wise.

Some supporters were divided over Mark Robins’ choice to bench Ben Wilson and give Brad Collins a chance against Stoke last month. Wilson has enjoyed great popularity after an incredible 2022–2023 campaign, but Collins’ inclusion has been a brilliant move that has paid off handsomely. In his nine league games thus far, the summer acquisition from Barnsley has maintained an amazing six clean sheets and given up just four goals. In eight of those games, he has faced the same back four players in front of him: Milan van Ewijk, Bobby Thomas, Liam Kitching, and Jake Bidwell.

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