Coventry City penalty prep pays off as centre-halves backed away and secret behind Simms' swagger
Frank Lampard was true to his word about being a traditionalist in the FA Cup and fielding a strong team rather than handing game time to peripheral players and youngsters needing match minutes, as can be the case for many managers in the early rounds of the competition in the modern game.
He made three changes to his team, including one forced to replace the injured Ben Sheaf, as he set out to get the job done, to see the Sky Blues into the fourth round of the competition. And although it didn’t go as smoothly as it should have done, having conceded a stoppage time equaliser for the second week running, City did eventually get over the line by converting four out of five penalties in a dramatic shootout to decide the tie, after extra-time failed to produce a decisive goal for either side.
Lampard’s opposite number Danny Rohl, meanwhile, made four changes from his previous line-up including star man Barry Bannan and ten goal striker Josh Windass, both of whom came off the bench in the second half amid five substitutions that turned the game back in Sheffield Wednesday’s favour. Indeed, with Bannan pulling the strings, the visitors looked a completely different proposition and the talismanic Owls’ skipper would have scored himself had it not been for a terrific save from Oliver Dovin.
Here we look at some of the big talking points of the game.
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‘Random’ injustice
Historically a predominantly back four advocate, it was interesting to see Lampard stick with three centre-halves and wing-backs for a second game running – the system having worked effectively until City’s stoppage time collapse at Carrow Road the previous week. Fair play to the head coach for finding a way to navigate his team’s defensive frailties by adapting his footballing principles for the time being, at least, by changing to a formation that, again, stayed relatively strong until the dying minutes of the game.
It was a source of great frustration that on this occasion the Sky Blues failed to see out the remaining two of five frantic minutes added for stoppages at the end of the 90, thus sending the game into another half an hour of freezing extra-time. The levelling goal was similar to City’s, coming from a corner with the ball falling loose and being blasted home.
But, crucially, this time there were mitigating circumstances due to the fact that Luis Binks was off the pitch, having been treated and patched up for a facial injury and not allowed to come back on until the set-piece had been taken. That infuriated Lampard who was convinced his side wouldn’t have conceded the goal had his third centre-back been on the pitch. He described it as a “really random incident” but it’s clearly unfair to put a team at a disadvantage for such a key moment in a game.
Set pieces are staple sources of goals for many teams, and to force a side to have to defend one not only a man down, but a centre-half whose specific job is to deal with such situations, is wrong.
Ref gets it wrong
Lampard was rightly fuming at the decision to rule out what looked like a perfectly good Jack Rudoni goal from a second half corner which would almost certainly have sealed the tie in Coventry’s favour had it stood. Referee Thomas Kirk ruled that there was a foul on Wednesday keeper Pierce Charles who was flapping at his near post as Brandon Thomas-Asante grappled with a defender in close attendance, but certainly didn’t impede the keeper.
Simms’ swagger
Ellis Simms played with a noticeable swagger on his return to the starting line-up, using all of his attributes to look like a real number nine for the Sky Blues. He was strong, powerful and quick and was really unlucky not to score when he connected beautifully with a Milan van Ewijk cross after the break, only to be denied by a good save by the goalkeeper.
Asked if he agreed with the uplift in Simms’ performance, Lampard explained: “I did think there was a difference. I spoke to Ellis on Friday and wanted to say a few things about what I have seen. We looked at a few clips of him and parts of his game. I have worked with Ellis before at Everton, although not so much, but I know what I feel, the player that he can be with his attributes.
“But he has to be confident and make every defender feel the pain of his attributes of his strength and power and running power, and he did that a bit today, and I think there is still more to come.”
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Prep paid off as centre-halves backed away
Frank Lampard was thankful that he and his coaching staff had got the players to practise penalties on Friday just in case the FA Cup tie went to a shootout in the new format for the earlier round of the competition that historically went straight to replays if the scores were level after 90 minutes.
“We trained here at the stadium (on Friday) because the training pitch was frozen but we didn’t want to ruin the pitch or the penalty spot by taking 100 penalties on it, so it was minimal penalties for the players but I am pleased that we did it because I think it helps for preparation.”
Asked if all the pens went in, he said: “A couple didn’t,” before breaking into a smile and joking, “but those players, the ones who missed, didn’t take one today.
“But the boys were confident and I like that because sometimes you’re scratching around for players to stand up. But Torpy, ‘yes please, number one,’ and that was basically it. There were some players who didn’t take them because we didn’t get that far but they’d put their hands up and were confident."
Adding with a chuckle: "A few of the centre-halves backed off, but that’s normally the case.”
Lampard, of course, was a consummate penalty taker in his playing days and would have been the first to volunteer in that situation. “I would do,” he said, “but I would never have put it on someone to put their hand up or put them in the situation because it’s a tough one and if you don’t take them regularly, if it’s not your day job, as such, and you don’t practise them a lot then it’s not easy.
“But I believe in the players in these sorts of things because we have some good technical finishers with the likes of Torpy and Josh. I thought Rudi, as well. Obviously Norman is a hungry goal scorer so you feel more comfortable with that stuff, but in that situation anything can happen so I thought they dealt with it well.”
Ollie mentioned in dispatches again
Oliver Dovin earned yet more praise from his performance which he topped with a vital penalty shootout save to play his part in City’s progression to the fourth round of the Cup. He made a number of good saves during the game, the best of which saw him tip a Barry Bannan volley over the crossbar and then drop down to push away a backwards header from Bobby Thomas who had inadvertently directed it towards his own goal.
“He’s a talented boy,” insisted his head coach. “He’s a young goalkeeper and there’s lots of room for improvement because he’s young but he’s a real good talent and a good character. That position is one where you need to be calm and composed and you get different types. Not to be derogatory, there’s a certain mentality about it and he seems to have that as a young lad. It’s not fazed him at all, playing games.
“He’s made some good saves when he’s needed to since he’s been back in the team. I am pleased with him individually being his first penalty shootout at this level, that will be a good feeling for him. There are parts of his game that he can improve, which we’ll look at. But yeah, and from watching Ollie from when I first got here I could see he is a shot stopper in training and hopefully that will get even better with more training and time, but he’s certainly got that talent.”
