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In this Half-Term report series, we review each Premier League team’s start to the season.
Here, we focus on Coventry City, who have taken three points from their first five matches.
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RESULTS SO FAR
| GW | Result | Coventry’s xG | Coventry’s xGC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal 3-0 Coventry | 0.20 | 1.88 |
| 2 | Coventry 0-1 Hull | 1.29 | 0.72 |
| 3 | Man City 1-0 Coventry | 1.37 | 2.12 |
| 4 | Coventry 0-5 Brighton | 1.33 | 2.81 |
| 5 | Nott’m Forest 0-1 Coventry | 0.67 | 1.10 |
The outlook for Coventry looks a bit brighter after their narrow win over Nottingham Forest before the international break.
Prior to that, Frank Lampard’s men suffered four defeats in a row to nil.
In terms of the underlying numbers, they have underperformed their expected goals (xG) more than any other team, having scored merely one goal from 4.87 xG.
But apart from a tricky period when they went down to 10 men against Brighton and Hove Albion, they’ve generally been competitive, ranking mid-table for expected goals conceded (xGC).
That said, the 1-0 home defeat to Hull City in Gameweek 2 represented a real setback.
XG/XGC RANK V OTHER TEAMS
| Total | Rank v other clubs | |
|---|---|---|
| xG | 4.87 | 19th |
| xGC | 8.63 | 12th |
LINE-UP LESSONS
After starting the season in a 4-2-3-1 formation, Frank Lampard has since switched to a back three in Gameweeks 3-5.
In that period, the line-up was largely settled, with eight ever-present starters: Carl Rushworth (£4.5m), Bobby Thomas (£4.0m), Ethan Pinnock (£4.5m), Jay Dasilva (£4.0m), Matt Grimes (£4.9m), Frank Onyeka (£4.9m), Jack Rudoni (£4.9m) and Ephron Mason-Clark (5.3m).
Even then, the other positional changes were enforced.
Aurele Amenda (£4.0m) and Milan van Ewijk (£4.0m) both started in Gameweeks 3 and 4, before injuries ruled them out of Gameweek 5. Stephen Mfuni (£4.0m) and Caleb Yirenkyi (£4.8m) subsequently provided cover at the City Ground.
Then, up front, Taiwo Awoniyi (£5.4m) missed out due to suspension last time out, with Brandon Thomas-Asante (£5.0m) his replacement.
Awoniyi completes his three-match ban in Gameweek 6.
SET-PIECE TAKERS
| Corners | Grimes (8), Rudoni (6), Tchaouna (3), Hamer (1), Mason-Clark (1), Torp (1) |
| Crosses from free-kicks | Rudoni (5), Grimes (4), Tchaouna (2), Torp (2) |
| Shots from direct free-kicks | n/a |
| Penalties | n/a |
Grimes and Rudoni have been the main set-piece takers so far.
Victor Torp (£5.3m) scored a direct free-kick and a penalty in the EFL Cup, but is yet to start in the Premier League this season.
TOP PLAYERS FOR DEFCONS