You can understand why Mark Robins and his Coventry City side are in no way apprehensive about this afternoons game against Swansea City. The sky blues are on a run of decent form and the swans really do need a win by any means necessary to get their season back on track.

It may well be that Swansea City would be happy with a draw from todays game at the Coventry Building Society Arena. ( Kick Off 3pm ) However, it would also add to the current frustration with Russell Martin’s tactics after failing to take numerous chances at home to Norwich City last week. That game ended in a 1-0 win for Norwich and swans fans have shown their disappointment all week on a variety of mediums, including our very own forum on Swansea Independent. It’s understandable why as there seemed to be some promise in the teams performances and results leading up to beating Cardiff City at the end of October. Those performances were noteworthy for a quicker passing style, more energy and a less ponderous chess like strategy which seems to have returned to Russell Martin’s game plan of late. No wins in six, albeit four of those games were drawn is taking its toll in some quarters, and many are pointing out the results obtained in September and October were as a direct result of a more positive Swansea City match day plan.

Coventry midfielder Ben Sheaf knows exactly what to expect today, as do many teams who face the swans. “Everyone is aware of what Swansea are about and their philosophy and style of play and we’ve looked at that. However, at the same time, we’re going to look to impose our game on them and we don’t want them to have too much of the ball especially being at home. We will be well prepared for the game and ready to put in a good performance and to try and get a good result”

Most clubs who go in to action against the swans when at home with that attitude do cause some problems for Russell Martin, and that’s really why his side try and slow the game down and probe openings almost at walking pace at times. It’s tiring to watch but of course when it comes off, and that’s been a while, the results do happen, but there has to be energy in that mindset today.

Coventry are an in form side playing good football.

The sky blues manager Mark Robins is establishing his own style at Coventry City. His first stint as manager in 2012 returned a 51.5% win rate, and that’s impressive. He left the club to take up a lucrative contract at Huddersfield Town, that didn’t work out too well so he left for Scunthorpe United. In 2017 he returned to Coventry City and since then has stamped a style of play on his squad that is aggressive and sharp leaving him with a 41.5% win rate. His side do score goals and let’s not forget he has taken Coventry from league two to the championship in a relatively short space of time. In amongst all that Coventry have had some real tumultuous times over the last few years, and still Robins has improved his team and given the city hope.

This game will be seen as a result even if the swans do take the draw.

Robins has done his homework on Swansea City. “It’s always good to be back, I’m looking forward to it and the players are. It’s a really good game against a good opponent and I like the way they do things. Russell Martin is a good coach who is making an impact in the game at the clubs he’s been at. They play an attractive style of football which is possession based and they are by far and away the team with the most possession in the division. You can except we will be without the ball for periods of the game but hopefully when we get the ball back, we can hurt them.”

Reading between the lines surely causes some concern ? Despite the fact that Robins admits possession could be at a premium he still believes he can win the game. And the reason for that ? He knows the swans with this style and strategy find it hard to take their chances even in games with 75% possession in their favour. That’s the achilles heal that the swans have had since the arrival of Russell Martin, bar a handful of games last season, and possibly three or four this. That’s why that Swansea energy needs to permeate throughout the team from the off later today.

Everything is right on the pitch for Swansea City as it has been in many games, in fact most of them this season, Martin is right when he says everything went to plan but we didn’t score goals. But it’s the goals he is going to need over three tough games before the year ends. Conversely Mark Robins sounds calm and collected but not wary at all of his opponents today. “They played last week against a really good Norwich team, and they ran them close, and they had plenty of chances and they moved the ball really well. It will be an interesting game, but it’s one I know we can do some damage. Last season when we played them, we didn’t start the game quickly enough and from that point of view you give them the impotence and Norwich got at them last week and they gained the initiative taking the lead early on. They don’t stop doing what they are doing, and they get into spaces and try and pin you deep and they try and get the ball high up the field because that’s where they’re most comfortable and that’s where they want you and we have to try do things to counter that. They’ve got good players. Joel Piroe is a really good striker who drops into spaces well and when he gets the chances to shoot, he does and hits the target a lot. Matt Grimes in the middle with Jay Fulton they have forged a good partnership and they have some good attacking players, and they will always try and play and move you around and we have to try and limit the opportunities they get.”

This is a hard game to call, but Coventry must be slight favourites and it sounds like they are going to come out fighting. It’s their first home game for a very long time. Hopefully this time around it won’t end up in a defensive circus in the first minute as it did last week for the swans. But of course, nothing is certain with Russell Martin’s team at the moment. Nothing at all. However, what is certain is if this game goes the same way as numerous others of late the heat will be again turned up on Russell Martin. It won’t be as bad as some would like of course, but fanning the flames is a slow growing movement of Swans fans who despite their initial faith in Russell Martin are getting just a bit frustrated with the end result.

And that’s all that matters today. Okay, 3-1 to the swans. How’s that ?

Photographs licensed from Reuters