Formation hints, squad size & big summer for two – take away from Coventry City’s first friendly
Coventry City news from CoventryLive as we pick the bones out of Saturday’s pre-season opener against Port Vale to see what it told us about the weeks and months to come
Coventry City kicked off their pre-season schedule with a low-key run out against League Two opposition before heading out to Spain for a week-long training camp, culminating in the first of a number of more high profile friendlies.
The Sky Blues will play La Liga side Getafe CF on Friday, set up nicely by the weekend’s 3-0 win over Port Vale to blow any cobwebs away from the long holiday lay-off. Played behind-closed-doors at Loughborough University, the game saw summer signing Jack Rudoni open his account, along with goals from Ellis Simms and Justin Obikwu.
So what else did we learn from the pre-season opener? Here we take a detailed look at what the game revealed for the up-coming games and season ahead.
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Squad size
There were 17 senior players who featured in the game, which saw Mark Robins play two different teams in each half, breaking them all in gently with 45 minutes in their legs. The 22-man squad included senior development players Jack Burroughs and Ryan Howley – both of whom could be classed as first teamers now – and three under-21s regulars in Kai Andrews, Aidan Dausch and Obikwu.
With Fabio Tavares not far off a return from an ankle injury and City’s three Copa America internationals – Haji Wright, Kasey Palmer and Joel Latibeaudiere – unavailable for the game, that will take the senior squad to 23.
With City reported to be close to completing the signing of Hammarby goalkeeper Oliver Dovin, and more signings expected in the coming weeks, not least a replacement striker for Matty Godden and central midfield after missing out on Marko Stamenic, the numbers will start to look really healthy.
Tatsu’s back
Fan favourite Tatsuhiro Sakamoto made a welcome return to action following his recovery from a serious back injury that forced him to miss the last two-and-a-half months of last season. The 27-year-old winger was ruled out until the summer when he fell awkwardly during a challenge against Preston in February, after which he was greatly missed for the remainder of the campaign, such was his influence and ability to get the odd goal.
But it’s a fresh start for the Japanese wide man, who is fully fit and raring to go with big hopes that he will be even better for having seven months of Championship football under his belt.
Rudoni and Simms open accounts
Summer signing Jack Rudoni has already set himself the target of getting into double figures for goals in his first season with the Sky Blues, and getting off the mark in pre-season is a good sign. The 23-year-old sees himself as a box-to-box number eight or attacking number ten who certainly likes to get in and around the opposition area. And that’s exactly what he did for his goal, converting at the near post when he got on the end of a cross in from the left from Aidan Dausch.
Simms, meanwhile, who bagged 19 last term, made no mistake from about 14 yards when picked out by Jamie Allen for a simple finish.
Youngsters step up
It’s unclear at this stage whether Kai Andrews, Justin Obikwu and Aidan Dausch will feature for the entire pre-season, but for the time being at least, the three appear to be the pick of the development squad players who are closest to the first team. The summer is a big opportunity for the club’s younger players to catch the manager’s eye and force their way into his thinking. Their progress may be determined by how many more signings come in but if they do well they may well stay in on merit.
Big summer for two
Jack Burroughs and Ryan Howley spent last season out on loan with varying degrees of success. Burroughs, now 23, had an impressive spell at League One Lincoln City, playing 35 games in total, while Howley was not so lucky, managing just two league starts and 11 appearances from the bench for Dundee in the Scottish Premier Division. Although a bit younger than Burroughs at 20, Howley is considered more of a senior than his fellow Under-21s due to his experience in Robins’ squad.
The next few weeks will determine whether the manager sees them as being part of his senior set-up or whether they are better suited to another loan spell. All the signs are, however, that the versatile Burroughs could be closest to bridging the gap. He played at right-back against Vale – a position where City need competition and back-up for first choice Milan van Ewijk. He played mostly as a left wing-back for the Imps, so he could also be an option for the left if needed.
Howley, meanwhile, filled in at centre-half in the absence of Joel Latibeaudiere and it’s difficult to see the young lad breaking through in his preferred attacking midfield role at this stage of his development.
