Andy Turner analyzes the key talking points from Coventry City’s 2-1 loss at Carrow Road in this match analysis from CoventryLive.
With a 10-man loss against Norwich City, Coventry City ended their remarkable 12-game unbeaten streak and dropped to seventh position, outside of the play-off spots.
In the first half, the Sky Blues rode their luck against some fierce Norwich pressure, but in the second half, they showed real intent as Callum O’Hare beat two defenders in the box and finished with precision to put the visitors ahead at Carrow Road and extend his goal tally for the year to seven.
Then, with two excellent opportunities from Haji Wright and Kasey Palmer, Mark Robins’ team was guilty of not being clinical enough. In the 71st minute, a man was sent off, making their task much more difficult against a slick attacking Canaries team.
Here are a few key discussion points and insights from the Norfolk 2-1 loss…
Expensive Kitch
Now that he’s been sent out at Carrow Road, Liam Kitching will face a two-match ban. Luis Binks will have a great chance to make his mark on the club and put the Sky Blues to the test during a busy schedule of games that City can ill afford to lose such a vital defender. Having watched Josh Sargent get past him and then come in to stop him with a risky last-man challenge, Kitching knew as soon as he stood up that the referee was going to show him the red card. The center half receives an additional game ban after receiving a straight red card already this season.
small margins
Angus Gunn made two excellent stops to deny Haji Wright. Had the home goalkeeper not extended his leg to get a block in, the second would have given City a 2-1 lead after the break. For the second chance, the striker outran two players with his strength and pace, but he was just not mentally alert enough to put the ball past the goalkeeper. Once City was reduced to ten players, Kasey Palmer performed a one-two-three with Jamie Allen and Callum O’Hare to put the ball in front of goal. This gave City another opportunity to take the lead. However, once more, Gunn was too close to the shot, allowing the keeper to make a
Vic takes the lead
During such an important stage of the season, hearing that Ben Sheaf will be sidelined for six to eight weeks is truly devastating. On his first Championship start for the Sky Blues, Victor Torp, however, looked the part once more. The Dane was well-groomed on the ball, made good tackles, and he will only grow better with more experience. It seems that Robins prefers him to start with Josh Eccles or Jamie Allen, but it’s not like the manager is without options, as Joel Latibeaudiere and Liam Kelly are prepared to jump in when needed. But regardless of the lineup and combination employed, it is undeniable that the squad
Tats were the target
Tatsuhiro Sakamoto was blatantly targeted by Norwich enforcers Marcelino Nunez and Kenny McLean, who were both cautioned for nasty tackles on the Japanese winger within the first 45 minutes, and Mark Robins was incensed at the lack of protection Sakamoto received. In his post-match press conference, the City manager said that Sakamoto was sporting bruises as a result of his players’ treatment and expressed interest in finding out what his counterpart thought.
“It seems like a tactic to remove him from the game, so you’ll have to ask him (David Wagner) about it,” Robins remarked. “The referee provides him with minimal protection, and he ultimately comes off hurt, most likely with bruises and other injuries that last for a few days. I guess it’s football then.
In response to a question from CoventryLive about whether Wagner intended to specifically target Sakamoto, he said, “Yes, obviously Sakamoto and O’Hare are two of the standout players in the Championship and good players for Coventry, and if you want to be successful you have to try to get them calm.” Wagner did not apologize. It took a team effort to keep them calm, so I can only give my players the highest praise. We witnessed what O’Hare might do if you don’t turn on, so it took a true team effort to keep their best people composed.
With what can only be regarded as fairly anonymous stretches in the game, Ellis Simms continued to annoy. To be fair to the dynamic center-forward, he put in a lot of effort and was able to position himself well in the box, but he was largely unsupported in what may have appeared to be a solitary role up front. It’s interesting to note that Matty Godden experienced a similar issue while leading the line in the current 4-2-3-1 configuration.
Perhaps Simms should be used in a wider position to relieve some of the pressure and try to use his obvious strength and power to cut into the box from the flanks. For the erstwhile Everton prospect, who undoubtedly feels the pressure of expectation mounting on his young shoulders, something needs to change.
