Match Day Thread Coventry City v Sunderland AFC – Play-off Semi Final 1st Leg - Friday 9th May 2025 - KO 20:00

If we can do no worse than a draw Friday I am confident of reaching Wembley.

 

Shame to hear Mundle might not make it tomorrow.
Personally id play Ballard alongside Mepham, and move Onien to LB, and then play Cirkin LW. I reckon he'd do a job there, but what do i know.

 

Starting to think it’s mind games and we might well see mundle tomorrow

 

I really hope so mate

 

Disappointing but not surprising. £20m marquee signing who won’t start a single game in his specialist role. I really hope we pull something out of the bag tomorrow because I can’t help but have this nagging inside my head that RLB is too stubborn to change it and it’s going to cost us.

 

Tbf some of our best away performances came from the front three of Enzo - Isidor - Roberts i'm sure

 

If only we had 5 or 6 meaningless games to trial it and give the players some experience with it in case it was needed...

Not a knock on RLB but cant see him taking the risk and changing it to 3 at the back. If he does and we get well beat, he will put himself under massive pressure.

Sounds like as expected it will be le fee and roberts out wide and probs Rigg central which is what I was hoping we wouldnt do. Anyways time will tell, they're due a performance so could be saving it for this one. At least with Mayenda on the bench we do have a genuine game changer to bring on. Not sure there are many others that can make a huge difference, maybe Watson, maybe Mundle if fit enough.

 

Played them through the period against Boro and Burnley which we were class in both of, but either side of those I believe were probably 2 of our worst performances up to that point in the season against Plymouth and Watford at home. Not to mention the last few matches which have been diabolical. We’re creating absolutely nothing it’s a big worry.

 

I don't mean this to knock RLB, but as @J Flash says above, if we were going to try a different system, it would have happened in the last 4-6 weeks. RLB has his system and he's sticking to it. The only flexibility he's shown is trying different players in different positions within that system. But the system has been pretty much the same all season, albeit with a weird drop of intensity and press since February.

 

Got to say the clubs media team are doing a great job this week, every time I open an app there’s something to build the anticipation

 

Yeh they're doing great and hopefully it helps ticket sales, but I wish they'd stop as I'm trying to forget about it (and I'm not even on twitter)

 

The system isn't the issue for me, it's the intensity and urgency that has been the problem for months

 

TBF to not experimenting with a back 3 in the past few games, we haven't had the players to do it. Ballard is only recently back to fitness.

 

That's the team I'd pick also

 

No chance that RLB does though. I’m sure he’ll pick Roberts and Rigg, as always

 

If Mayenda doesn't start that's a massive error for me. Only one that's looked remotely in form lately and plays without fear. Roberts and ELF outwide give zero break away pace and will likely lead us to be penned in for long periods

 

Think we need to win the midfield battle, that's why I have Le fee in his right position, we got to have them fightened of what we can do.

 

If we do change shape it'll be back to the 442, which I wouldn't be against.

Patterson
Hume Mepham O'Nien Cirkin
Roberts Neil Jobe ELF
Mayenda Isidor

Takes the pressure off the wide players to be threats in behind and they can tuck in and effectively be 4 midfielders while letting the front 2 be the counter attacking threats.

 

He won't do that IMO. Will be Rigg with Wilson again

 

Watching Roberts and ELF be the main outballs for counter attacks will be painful.