Coventry captain Kyle McFadzean says it is the “little things” that Man City need to improve to revive their season after three consecutive defeats.
Despite the summer departures of star players Viktor Gyokeres and Gus Hamer, last season’s Championship play-off finalists have begun the 2023-24 campaign with optimism.
But Mark Robins’ side have only won three times in 14 league matches.
“We just need to stay together and get through this,” McFadzean told BBC CWR.
“These are the little things we need to improve.
I think we are playing a lot better and creating a lot of chances.
So we should be disappointed.
“But we also need to defend better as a team.
The more clean sheets you keep, the more games you win.
” While the Sky Blues have only kept 3 clean sheets in 14 matches, the biggest problem is the number of goals conceded – only 2 goals in 5 matches and none in the last 3 matches, all losses, before Bristol City, Rotherham United then at home to West Bromwich Albion on Monday.
And of the 17 goals they scored, there were 3 own goals, the second highest scorer for Man City, after Matt Godden (five goals).
“Rotherham was unacceptable,” McFadzean admitted.
“We were terrible in the second half.
“But the reality is we just needed to take our chances when we were ahead and we conceded too many sloppy goals.
” last year, when Coventry rose from bottom to reach the Championship play-off final, inspired by Gyokeres’ goals – and also by Hamer’s inspirational late-season form, both of whom left for a big fee – Gyokeres at Sporting Lisbon and, after the start of the new season, Hamer meets Sheffield United Gyokeres continues his good goalscoring form with 10 goals in
14 games this season for club and country family.
This could be good news in the long term for the Sky Blues, with Coventry owner Doug King confirming to the BBC CWR Fans Forum last week that there is a sell clause for the Swedish striker.
At this point last season, the Sky Blues were off to an inconsistent start and were just starting to falter following problems with the pitch at CBS Arena.
And in his 24-goal campaign, Gyokeres only scored six goals.
City face bogeys Preston’s visit to Deepdale on Saturday, and despite finishing 20th in the table, are just eight points off the play-off places in a still crowded Championship.
Godden, who missed three months last season when scoring eight goals, has scored six times in all competitions this time after signing a new contract – but only one of those was in a winning team.
And although former Everton and Sunderland target Ellis Simms and club record £7.
7m signing Haji Wright, Man City’s two seven-figure replacements for Gyokeres, are both Not only did they score two goals each, all four were for the winning cause.
Simms scored twice in the 3-1 win over QPR and Wright scored in Coventry’s other two wins this season – August’s 3-0 win over Middlesbrough and the 1-0 home win over Blackburn, early October just as Coventry’s season seemed to be over started to turn in the right direction.
Wright missed two chances on Monday, including a crucial one, trailing just 1-0 with only the keeper to beat.
But fans showed their continued support for the United States international by immediately chanting his name – and McFadzean said it was just a matter of confidence.
“Haji nailed it all day in practice,” he said.
“All he needs is confidence.
Once he gets his confidence back, he will fly.
“We all just need to improve a little.
And we go.
We will get through this.
“
