HIGHLIGHTS
- Coventry City’s poor start to the season doesn’t reflect their overall performance, according to Don Goodman. They have played well in most games, but have struggled to convert their chances into goals.
- Despite being in 20th place in the Championship, Coventry is actually the sixth-best team in the league according to expected points. They have been unlucky not to accumulate more points based on their xG share.
- If Coventry can improve their goal-scoring efficiency, they have the potential to climb up the table and compete for a playoff spot again. Players like Simms and Wright need to start converting their chances more frequently.
It’s been a difficult start to the season for Coventry City, who find themselves in 20th place in the Championship, just five points above the relegation zone, but Don Goodman doesn’t think that tells the whole story.
Mark Robins’ side were always going to require recruitment this summer, in order to remain competitive at the right end of the second tier once more as they saw their two key players depart, with Viktor Gyokeres joining Sporting CP and Gus Hamer moving to Sheffield United.
The Sky Blues will still be hoping the 2023/24 season can be one that sees the club go one step further than what they achieved last time out, with the start of the campaign off to a difficult start but there being plenty of time for things to turn around before May.
They haven’t been afraid to splash the cash, either. The Gyokeres and Hamer money saw significant incomings through the likes of Haji Wright, Ellis Simms, Liam Kitching, and Milan van Ewijk.
| Coventry City – 2023/24 Signings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player Name | Signed From | Loan/Permanent |
| Haji Wright | Antalyaspor | Permanent |
| Ellis Simms | Everton | Permanent |
| Liam Kitching | Barnsley | Permanent |
| Milan van Ewijk | Heerenveen | Permanent |
| Bobby Thomas | Burnley | Permanent |
| Tatsuhiro Sakamoto | KV Oostende | Permanent |
| Brad Collins | Barnsley | Permanent |
| Jay Dasilva | Bristol City | Permanent |
| Joel Latibeaudiere | Swansea City | Permanent |
| Yasin Ayari | Brighton | Loan |
| Luis Binks | Bologna | Loan |
The Sky Blues travel to London on Saturday to take on Millwall who find themselves in 15th place in the Championship table. They’ve won just three games so far this season and had lost four consecutive games before their stalemate with Stoke City last time out. However, no side has drawn more games than Robins’ side this season with seven already from their 16 games.
What are the pundits saying about Coventry’s season so far?
Sky Sports pundit and commentator, Don Goodman, believes that doesn’t tell the whole story at Coventry. He has been impressed in spite of the poor results and with the side languishing at the wrong end of the table.
Speaking ahead of the game, he said: “In my opinion, Coventry are arguably the team in this league who should have picked up more points than they have from the performances they’ve given.
“They’ve rarely played badly, aside from a couple of occasions. They’re a decent team who are missing a boatload of chances, and they’re paying the price.
“It’s always tough going to The Den, even if Millwall haven’t set the world on fire. I think Millwall have the third-worst home record in the league, but they do have a new manager and they’ll be confident after smashing Sheffield Wednesday 4-0.
“I can’t split them – I’m going for 1-1.”
How good are Coventry?
Goodman is spot on with his verdict, as the Sky Blues are one of the most unfortunate teams so far this season, per the data and underlying metrics.
According to expected points, Coventry are the sixth best side in the division. The figure is a measure which estimates how many points a team should have accrued by xG share for and against, as shared by All Stats Aren’t We via OptaAnalyst.
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