Coventry City have a handicap right now but must not be underestimated | OneFootball

Despite a slow start, Coventry City can't be counted out of a potential play-off push.

Coventry City's victory over Luton Town on Saturday could be the turning point that Mark Robins has been looking for. The Sky Blues started the season slowly, but must not be counted out of the promotion race just yet.

It's been a turbulent couple of months at Coventry, as the promotion-hopefuls have failed to find any consistency, which has seen them towards the wrong end of the Championship table.

Despite this, there is a growing sense of optimism after Robins' side defeated the struggling Luton on Saturday afternoon. Whilst the score suggests a close game, the stats suggest otherwise, with the Sky Blues having the lion's share of the key metrics. With that in mind, fans remain optimistic that Robins can turn around the tough start.

It had been a positive summer off the pitch, as owner Doug King sought to give his legendary manager what he wanted, which was a squad capable of promotion. Whilst there weren't wholesale changes, big money was splashed on new players such as Jack Rudoni, who arrived with big expectations.

Instead of opting for experienced players, Coventry mainly invested in young talent, with their oldest signing, Brandon Thomas-Asante, just 25 years old. After spending an estimated £17.25 million on players, there was an expectation that last season's FA Cup semi-finalists would be contending right at the top.

However, it seems like the price tags are a huge weight on the shoulders of some of the new players. Goalkeeper, Oliver Dovin, has struggled somewhat since joining from Hammarby, finding himself sharing the gloves with Ben Wilson.

The problems stem beyond this though, as inconsistency has been creeping into the Sky Blues' performance. Whilst they were dominant against Luton, creating plenty of chances, on the road against Preston just two games prior, Coventry only registered a single shot on target en route to defeat.

If Robins' side can start stringing some consistent performances together, they could shoot up the Championship table. This is easier said than done, but their performance against Luton is a good foundation to start building upon.

Luton victory could turn Sky Blues' fortunes

Of course, both Luton and Coventry have been steeped in history together recently, as the Hatters denied Robins' men a place in the Premier League on penalties in the 2023 play-off final. Both sides were also promoted from League Two in 2018.

Times are a bit different now though, as Luton were unable to survive in the Premier League, and Coventry failed to go one better than they did the year before. Now reunited in the same division again, Robins would've dearly loved to get one over on Rob Edwards' side.

Fortunately, he did manage to get one over on Edwards, as his side ran out 3–2 winners. Whilst Luton have had a worse start to the season than Coventry, the side they have is still quality, and will no doubt be towards the sharp end come the end of the season.

After struggling to create chances in their previous fixtures against Queens Park Rangers and Preston, the domination over Luton will come as a welcome relief for Sky Blues fans, as they seemed to put their struggles to the side. It was a must-win game for Robins, and he delivered the result that was asked of him.

With the evidence on show in their recent match, Coventry can use this performance to press on and chase down the play-off places. Whilst fighting with a slight handicap, due to their points tally, there is still plenty of time for the Sky Blues to get up towards the sharp end.

Don't count Coventry out of top-six race

As expected, poor results have put pressure on Robins. Any decision on the future of the 54-year-old would be extremely tough to come to for King. The former striker has grown with the club, taking them from League Two to an FA Cup semi-final and within one kick of the Premier League.

His experience and credentials speak for themselves. He's established himself as a top Championship manager who knows how to build a team that can challenge right at the top of the division. However, there has been a debate about whether the poor start to the season is evidence that Robins has taken the Sky Blues as far as possible.

The victory over Luton undoubtedly relieved some of the external pressure surrounding the long-serving boss, with a solid performance against a strong side, regardless of their league position. Despite their start causing a handicap, having only picked up 12 points, 34 matches remain in the Championship, with a total of 102 points up for grabs. Bearing that in mind, this handicap can be easily overturned if the victory is followed up with strong results.

Changing manager isn't always the right choice, especially when replacing someone who has been involved in a single project for so long. Robins has proven that he's got what it takes to bring success, he just needs to make sure his squad remains consistent if they are to overturn their point deficit to the top six.

In 2022/23, it was around the 12-game mark that they started turning their form around after picking up just 10 points in the opening 11, before motoring on to reach the play-off final. Coventry were also just three points better off at this point 12 months ago before stringing together an unsuccessful push for the top-six.

Robins knows how to turn a poor start around - the last two seasons are evidence of that. A deficit now can be eaten away over November and December, and come 2025, there could be a prettier picture painted around the Sky Blues.