12. Coventry City
In 2017, Coventry City were in the fourth tier of English football for the first time in almost 60 years and with absent owners Sisu in control it was hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel for Sky Blues supporters. Their rise under Mark Robins has been nothing short of sensational – a League Two play-off victory was followed by an eighth place finish in League One before they comfortably won the title on Points Per Game last season.
Robins’ initial success was built on a solid 4-4-2 that would grind out results but last season he changed the shape drastically and it had a transformative effect – the 3-6-1 was born. The most intriguing aspect of the new set-up was a box shape in midfield consisting of Liam Walsh, Liam Kelly, Callum O’Hare and Jamie Allen. This quartet would completely overwhelm opposition midfields with their constant passing and moving, they also provided the ammunition for striker Matt Godden to average more than a goal every other game.
Marko Marosi deserves a shot at the Championship after two good seasons in League One with Doncaster and then Coventry. Kyle McFadzean provides the experience at the back and both Dominic Hyam and Michael Rose impressed in the wide centre-back roles.
Left wing-back Sam McCallum’s departure to Norwich looks to have been made up for by the extension of Ryan Giles’ loan from Wolves and another loan in the shape of Leo Ostigard provides another option for the back three. The club’s other transfer business looks great on paper – Gustavo Hamer has been brought in to replace Walsh, who returned to Bristol City – the £1.35 million spent is the most they’ve paid for a player since 2001. Even more excitingly, Tyler Walker has been brought in from Forest after scoring bundles of goals for Mansfield and then Lincoln in the past couple of seasons and he will provide genuine competition for Godden.
I expect Coventry’s unorthodox system to be too much to handle for a lot of teams that have prioritised physicality, particularly in midfield where the ‘box’ are good enough to go toe-to-toe with even the division’s best sides. They will catch teams cold in the first few months of the season as they are forced to adjust to how they play. Godden making the step-up to the Championship will go a long way to having a successful season but there are enough alternative options to keep him honest.
It is disappointing that Coventry will again be playing at St. Andrews as issues with the local council over the use of the Ricoh Arena continue but the better the team perform, the more likely they are to find new owners and a more secure future. Robins seems the perfect man for this job, he won’t let the players get ahead of themselves should they start well and is experienced enough to not let them get too low when bad patches of form arrive. I think Coventry and their story will be one of the most exciting aspects of the 2020/21 Championship season.
Player to look out for: Callum O’Hare – It was a massive coup for Coventry to get O’Hare back permanently after a stellar loan spell at the club last season. The twinkle-toed attacking midfielder provides the magic as his fast feet and dribbling help him either score or create goals, it will be interesting to see how long it takes him to adapt to the Championship.
