Sky Sports pundits Steve Sidwell and Clinton Morrison have been assessing Coventry City’s promotion push following back-to-back wins over Middlesbrough and West Bromwich Albion.
January arrival Frank Onyeka has earned praise for his influence in midfield during both victories, while Jack Rudoni netted his first goal since the 7-1 thrashing of QPR in August before following it up with the winner away to Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.
Under Frank Lampard, Coventry sit top of the table, with results elsewhere largely going in their favour, including outcomes involving Ipswich Town, Millwall and Middlesbrough. With Sheffield United now out of the way, just 12 matches remain in the Championship season.
Coventry have led the standings for 27 of the 34 matchdays so far. While promotion to the Premier League is not yet secured, they have regained momentum after a spell of four wins in 12 league games allowed their rivals to close the gap.
Steve Sidwell highlights concern
Speaking ahead of Coventry’s trip to South Yorkshire and prior to Tuesday’s Championship fixtures on Sky Sports’ Gillette Labs Soccer Special, Sidwell — a former teammate of Lampard at Chelsea — shared his overall optimism but admitted to one lingering worry.
He suggested Coventry appear to be back to their best, pointing to the confidence within the squad and the impact of key individuals. Sidwell described the win over West Brom as comfortable and labelled the earlier victory against Middlesbrough as huge. He also singled out Onyeka’s impressive loan spell and Rudoni’s added steel in midfield, noting that goals are coming from all areas of the pitch.
However, he did raise one concern. Sidwell believes Coventry can look vulnerable out of possession, suggesting they may lack strength and authority defensively at times.
Still, with the volume of goals they are scoring, he feels that attacking output could be enough to compensate as the promotion race enters its decisive stretch.
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