The Sky Blues possess a feature that some of their fellow top-six contenders lack: consistency. This is something that Robins’ men excel at.
However, recent performance indicates that the Sky Blues are not demoralised by their season-ending loss and may perhaps surpass it this time. With their 1-0 victory over Stoke City on Saturday, the Robins team has now only lost once in their previous 17 games across all competitions. Meanwhile, the Sky Blues haven’t dropped a game at home since falling to West Brom 2-0 on October 30, another team vying for a playoff spot. Due to their recent success, the Sky Blues are currently sixth in the Championship standings and have advanced to the FA Cup’s fifth round, where they will take on Maidstone United of the National League South.
The Sky Blues possess a consistency that is unmatched by some of their fellow top-six contenders, such Norwich City and West Brom. This is due to the leadership of Ryan Robins.
Baggies and Canaries must be wary of Sky Blues
The Sky Blues have an amount of consistency that neither the Canaries nor the Baggies can match, giving Robins’ team a significant advantage in the battle for the top six.
As evidenced by their most recent 4-2 and 4-1 triumphs over Watford and Cardiff City, respectively, David Wagner’s team occasionally plays outstanding football.
However, during the holiday season, the Canaries suffered defeats at the hands of Millwall and the Baggies, while the Sky Blues defeated Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland. Although the Baggies are now ahead of the Sky Blues in the Championship table, their chances of getting promoted could be harmed by their defeat to Southampton on Friday night. Under Corberan, the team lost three games in all competitions in January.
The Sky Blues went unbeaten in January and bounced back from a loss to the Canaries early in February by winning four straight games across all competitions.
When it comes to determining which teams go to the postseason, the unwavering perseverance of Robins’ team is a highly valued attribute.
Sky Blues have last season’s experience to their advantage
In addition to being more reliable than other play-off candidates, Robins’ team made it to the play-off final the previous season, so they are familiar with what it takes to cross the finish line and place in the top six. The previous season, the Baggies finished ninth in the Championship, just missing out on a top-six berth by three points, while the Sky Blues ended fifth with 70 points.
However, the Canaries were a distant memory from the play-off race the previous season, placing a pitiful 13th. For this reason, Robins and company have the advantage in applying their knowledge from that campaign to help them cross the finish line and qualify for the playoffs once more.
Even if the Sky Blues lack the main players from the previous campaign in Viktor Gyokeres and Gus Hamer, it is hard to imagine Robins’ team falling behind opponents like the Baggies and Canaries with Callum O’Hare and Haji Wright playing at such a high level lately.
