Watch CoventryLive for Coventry City news and get a taste of Mark Robins’ pre-match press conference before Leeds United’s encounter.
It’s reasonable to argue that Coventry City’s performance in the next three Championship games will demonstrate whether or not the team has what it takes to get to the last play-off round this year. The first up is a hard home match against Leeds United, who are now ranked second. Then, there are quick trips to Southampton and Birmingham City on the road.
Manager Mark Robins has been making a point of stressing this in his press conferences ever since his team pulled off their incredible victory over Wolves in the quarterfinals last month. For now, the Sky Blues’ FA Cup semi-final day out against Manchester United at Wembley is firmly on the back burner.
When asked about the lengthy schedule his team has in front of them in the days and weeks leading up to the game, the City manager responded, “Yes, but we can’t look beyond Leeds.” Before we play our final four league games, we have a huge seven days and a very important couple of weeks ahead of us, during which we must win every game. We must attempt to confront the problem head-on and see where it leads us because we are aware that it exists and is difficult. But we have to execute at a high level because that is the order of the day.
There’s little doubt that the Sky Blues will need to perform better than they did on Easter Monday against Cardiff, when Liam Kitching’s two own goals negated Ellis Simms’ first goal and unintentionally gave the Bluebirds all three points.
“We gave everything that we had but just didn’t hit the heights that we have been used to, so we just have to move on,” said the manager, reflecting on the 2-1 CBS Arena defeat. “You have to be philosophical about it and make the most of the next opportunity, which is Leeds in front of probably a full house.”
Asked how Kitching has dealt with the personal disappointment and whether he’s expecting him to bounce straight back, Robins said: “Everyone makes mistakes in games and you can’t dwell on that too much. You have to be in a position to deal with things and sometimes you don’t get it quite right, but you have to learn from that. If you don’t then there’s a problem but our players, generally, learn from mistakes they make and improve from it.”
The defender’s second own goal, which involved stretching out a leg to divert a cross over his goalie, is the kind of play that anybody could make. But most people were scratching their heads and wondering what in the world the player was thinking about the first one.
Supporting his summer acquisition from Barnsley, who was born in Harrogate, a town just across the road from Leeds, and began his career at Elland Road, the manager stated, “I think he’ll have been playing the first own goal back in his mind quite a bit but he’s been really good for us most of the time.” Being a young center-half, he’s still developing and will get better. One of them that can just happen is the second one.
He added: “It’s just a case of being calm in the head and dealing with those situations, and that generally sorts out those problems. But he doesn’t need to beat himself up about things. He’s a good player and just needs to refocus and get on with things, but don’t dwell on it.”
Being a strong character with an aggressive nature on the pitch, Kitching will, almost certainly, be relishing going up against his former club, if selected.
“Yes, and I think whoever plays will be right up for it, there’s no doubt about it,” said Robins. “There will be a demand from within, a demand from the support and a demand placed on them by their players and the level they play at, so it will be brilliant and we want to face the challenge head on. I have always said to them not to show any fear and to go into games with that belief that they are a good team, and go and do what they do.
To be honest, I have no reservations about that. Without a doubt, we must perform to the best of our abilities, but overall, the boys have handled setbacks well.
Despite being aware of the magnitude of the task at hand, Robins maintains his faith in his players, believing they can rise to the moment and the challenge and produce something exceptional.
“This kind of game is something special that you have to enjoy,” he stated. “I believe Leeds United, who are coming to us, are a very good club led by a very good manager who was promoted a few times at Norwich City. We must play the entire game with all of our might since he brings a talented team that poses dangers everywhere on the field. That is the struggle, but in the end, we have faced tough opponents the entire season. We faced Leeds at Elland Road, where they were excellent, but we were able to hang in there, get an equalizer via Bobby Thomas, and earn a point.
“To gain anything from the game, we need to perform at a level comparable to that, but when the timer goes off, this is crucial, and this is when you have to attempt to rack up as many points as you can.
“We looked yesterday, and I believe we’re three points ahead of where we were at this time last year. We finished fifth with 70 points, which came from 13 points from the final seven games. That won’t cut it this year, and if we want to fight for a spot in the top six, we need to put together a really strong run. You finished sixth last year with 69 points, but this year you should finish sixth with 76/77/78.
He went back to the camp’s underlying conviction, saying, “We’re encouraged because we’re a good team.” Any side that lets up will suffer while trying to finish in the top six, but we need to stay optimistic and approach each of these games with the mindset that we can win; otherwise, what good is it?
“We need to make sure we come up with answers tomorrow because we know we have good firepower ourselves, and I know they will respect that. We know we will be asked a lot of questions.”
While City hopes to have a nearly sold-out home crowd, Leeds is only allowed to bring just over 2,000 supporters from outside, and Robins is fully aware of the role his team will play on matchday.
“The supporters are always helpful, and anything is possible when they support the team,” he remarked. “They are excellent in every game and they are aware of that.”
