Bugsy
Well-Known Member
Changes to be made for next game
Coventry City manager Mark Robins will tell his players they need to improve their decision making and passing at both ends of the field if they are to start winning games.
Robins may make changes for the next two games, both in London, at Brentford on Tuesday and Leyton Orient on Saturday. He made changes during the 2-1 home reverse to Notts County last Saturday bringing on Steven Jennings and Cody McDonald which gave a static Coventry side a little more impetus. Robins may opt to give both players a start at Griffin Park, Brentford.
Looking back on the Notts County game, Robins told the Coventry Telegraph's Alan Poole: "We created an unbelievable number of chances but couldn’t take them we gave away two sloppy goals so of course I’m disappointed.
"It’s frustrating because we all want to come and see the perfect match when we’re popping the ball around, creating chances and taking them. That’s where we want to get to, those are the things we need to work on – we have to stay true to what we want to do, create a possession-based style of play, but make sure it’s exciting for the supporters.
"They tried to play but they’re perhaps taking me too literally. I’m saying that I don’t want them to smash the ball from back to front, I want to work it through the thirds and pass with a purpose, but you can’t have a possession-based style of play if it keeps going back to the goalkeeper.
"There’s got to be an element of risk and we don’t seem willing to do that at the moment. We didn’t pass the ball forward enough and when we did we were naive; we didn’t work hard enough to get on the ball in the right areas. We ended up slowing the game down; that’s my complaint, but that’s something that will evolve if we keep working hard.
"It’s going to take time; we’ve got a young squad and I think that showed today. It was perhaps a little bit of a step too far for that bunch of players, but we’ve got plenty of options as the Under-21s proved on Friday night.
“James Bailey had a stomach bug overnight and his energy levels weren’t what they normally are. I think you could see that and when Jennings went on and made a difference. Callum Ball is a young player and it might be time for him to come out and have a rest.
"The two full-backs are key, you’ve got to have two positive full-backs and I felt they weren’t adventurous enough today. Rather than being on the back foot we need to be on the front foot, take the game to them.
"There will be spells in the game when we need to dig in, go narrow and get men behind the ball, but when we win the ball we’ve got to try to explode out and counter quicker than we did.
"It’s down to really small margins. Cody McDonald got himself into some good positions. David McGoldrick, who has been on fire, had one of those days where nothing went for him.
"We had two or three that flashed across the face of the goal and to be fair they did fantastic, throwing their bodies in front of the ball. We want somebody there who’s going to do that job but we want decent footballers as well, so it’s just a question of getting that balance, but we need to put in a decent performance in the next two away games.
Coventry City manager Mark Robins will tell his players they need to improve their decision making and passing at both ends of the field if they are to start winning games.
Robins may make changes for the next two games, both in London, at Brentford on Tuesday and Leyton Orient on Saturday. He made changes during the 2-1 home reverse to Notts County last Saturday bringing on Steven Jennings and Cody McDonald which gave a static Coventry side a little more impetus. Robins may opt to give both players a start at Griffin Park, Brentford.
Looking back on the Notts County game, Robins told the Coventry Telegraph's Alan Poole: "We created an unbelievable number of chances but couldn’t take them we gave away two sloppy goals so of course I’m disappointed.
"It’s frustrating because we all want to come and see the perfect match when we’re popping the ball around, creating chances and taking them. That’s where we want to get to, those are the things we need to work on – we have to stay true to what we want to do, create a possession-based style of play, but make sure it’s exciting for the supporters.
"They tried to play but they’re perhaps taking me too literally. I’m saying that I don’t want them to smash the ball from back to front, I want to work it through the thirds and pass with a purpose, but you can’t have a possession-based style of play if it keeps going back to the goalkeeper.
"There’s got to be an element of risk and we don’t seem willing to do that at the moment. We didn’t pass the ball forward enough and when we did we were naive; we didn’t work hard enough to get on the ball in the right areas. We ended up slowing the game down; that’s my complaint, but that’s something that will evolve if we keep working hard.
"It’s going to take time; we’ve got a young squad and I think that showed today. It was perhaps a little bit of a step too far for that bunch of players, but we’ve got plenty of options as the Under-21s proved on Friday night.
“James Bailey had a stomach bug overnight and his energy levels weren’t what they normally are. I think you could see that and when Jennings went on and made a difference. Callum Ball is a young player and it might be time for him to come out and have a rest.
"The two full-backs are key, you’ve got to have two positive full-backs and I felt they weren’t adventurous enough today. Rather than being on the back foot we need to be on the front foot, take the game to them.
"There will be spells in the game when we need to dig in, go narrow and get men behind the ball, but when we win the ball we’ve got to try to explode out and counter quicker than we did.
"It’s down to really small margins. Cody McDonald got himself into some good positions. David McGoldrick, who has been on fire, had one of those days where nothing went for him.
"We had two or three that flashed across the face of the goal and to be fair they did fantastic, throwing their bodies in front of the ball. We want somebody there who’s going to do that job but we want decent footballers as well, so it’s just a question of getting that balance, but we need to put in a decent performance in the next two away games.