| Name | Position | ATT VPM | DEF VPM | OVRL VPM | WR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Godden | CF | 3.0 | 2.0 | 4.2 | 0.52 |
| Amadou Bakayoko | CF | 2.0 | 3.6 | 4.6 | 0.71 |
| Maxime Biamou | CF | 3.4 | 3.9 | 5.5 | 0.64 |
| Jordy Hiwula | CF/LW | 2.0 | 1.7 | 3.1 | 0.51 |
| Wesley Jobello | RW | 2.5 | 4.1 | 6.3 | 0.76 |
| Zain Westbrooke | AM | 2.5 | 1.8 | 3.4 | 0.78 |
| Callum O’Hare | AM | 3.7 | 3.7 | 6.5 | 0.89 |
| Jordan Shipley | AM/CM | 2.8 | 2.3 | 4.4 | 0.64 |
| Liam Kelly | CM | 2.1 | 5.2 | 6.8 | 0.87 |
| Liam Walsh | CM | 3.3 | 3.9 | 6.8 | 0.94 |
| Fankaty Dabo | RWB | 2.6 | 4.3 | 5.6 | 0.83 |
| Sam McCallum | LWB | 1.6 | 4.9 | 6.3 | 0.78 |
| Brandon Mason | LWB/LB | 2.5 | 4.5 | 7.0 | 0.88 |
| Dominic Hyam | CB | 1.4 | 5.8 | 7.4 | 0.84 |
| Michael Rose | CB | 1.8 | 5.7 | 7.7 | 0.87 |
| Kyle McFadzean | CB | 1.2 | 6.7 | 7.9 | 0.73 |
| Marko Maroši | GK | 0.8 | 0.6 | 7.6 | 0.36 |
| Squad Averages | 2.3 | 3.8 | 6.0 | 0.74 |
Report
Coventry City are currently first in League One despite playing less games than the other teams in the top 7. They’ve scored 48 goals which is 8th best in the league and conceded 30 goals which is the best in the league. Before the New Year they were 7th but in 2020 they’ve been the in-form side going unbeaten with 8 wins from 11 games.
Sixth in league for ball possession at 53.6%. Coventry play a passing game with a league high for passes per game at 409.2 and 5th for accuracy at 78.9%. They have 5 players in the top 30 for total passes with centre backs Michael Rose and Dominic Hyam their top 2 for passing, 3rd and 13th most in the league respectively. Hyam and their other centre back, Kyle McFadzean are also in the top 30 for passing accuracy, both over 85%.
Midfielders Liam Walsh (3rd in accuracy) and Callum O’Hare are in the top 10 for total through balls while Zain Westbrooke, Jordan Shipley, and Liam Kelly are in the top 20 which has the team number one in the league for total through balls. This shows a preference for playing it through the middle more than their opposition.
Their total crossing is around the middle of the pack at 13th and is 12th in accuracy. Along with being 17th in long passes it suggests that Coventry are very careful and deliberate with their passing choices, opting for safer passing options while still being positive in their build up play. Second in final third balls per game and first in progressive passes per game exemplify their passing philosophy.
Although they do move the ball forward with progressive runs with a 7th best 11.9 per game they will often choose passing to beat the opposition because their total one v ones/dribbles are only 19th in the league at a success rate that has them 21st.
Rose, Walsh, Kelly and Dabo are their most active players in getting the ball forward and they’re amongst the top in the league at it. Awaiting them is their centre forward, Matt Godden, who is 7th in goals scored and 11th in touches in the penalty area.
We can see by the squad’s VPM that the balance in the respective thirds of the pitch are quite good. Five of the eight attacking players have an equal or better attacking VPM than defensive VPM with two others having at least 3.4 attacking VPMs.
Liam Kelly balance is tipped more in favour of the defensive side but he is in the top 15 in the league for defensive duels so that is not unusual for a more defensively minded midfielder. Walsh is more balanced between the two and has an attacking VPM over 3.0 and defensive VPM under 4.0 so he’s more a standard central midfielder with the highest WR in team.
The defenders obviously are all balanced towards the defensive side but they are also all over the 1.0 mark. Brandon Mason and Dabo have good balances for wingbacks with both scoring a 2.6 with their attacking VPMs.
Ideally, you’d like the squad as a whole to have an attacking VPM of around 3.0 - the higher the better - however as long as the balances within their positions are right, a team will have success.
Overall, Coventry City are a well-balanced team who understand their strengths and weaknesses and play to them. They don’t over overcommit on either end and they’re careful and intelligent in their build up play which often comes from keeping the ball on the deck and attacking centrally.
- 3-4-2-1 was their most used formation in the league (37%) and 4-3-3 was second most (25%)
