Football League World
·30 October 2024
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·30 October 2024
FLW's Coventry City fan pundit has identified which fringe player should be in the team more regularly
Coventry City have made an underwhelming start to the new Championship campaign.
The Sky Blues would have been hoping for a promotion push during pre-season, but the team currently sits 18th in the table after the opening 12 games.
Mark Robins’ side have won just three fixtures so far, drawing three and losing the other six, with the club seven points adrift of the play-off places.
Supporters will be hoping the impressive 3-2 comeback win over Luton Town last weekend will be a turning point in their season.
Coventry finished ninth in the table in the previous term, so improving on that and returning to the top six will be their aim, having lost the 2023 play-off final to the Hatters.
When asked which player that is currently not starting many games for the team that should be, FLW’s Coventry fan pundit Ryan Murphy suggested Luis Binks.
He believes the defender possesses the most quality of their options at the back, and his performance in the team against Rob Edwards’ side highlighted why he needs to be in the side every week.
“A player that doesn’t start every week that I believe should is Binks,” Murphy told Football League World.
“Binks plays on the left-side of defence, his left foot is quality.
“He can pick out a pass, run forward, go on runs and he’s definitely the most intelligent footballer we’ve got at the back.
“Sometimes he can get overlooked.
“This is where I’d say Robins needs to stop tinkering because he did actually play in the last game, to be fair, against Luton, and he was quality, pure class.
“If he plays like that every week then he’s head and shoulders above anybody at the back.
“We signed him for just over £1 million, and he was on loan last year and didn’t get much of a look-in.
“This year, some fans are saying they don’t reckon it’s that good of a signing, he’s young and he’s quality on the ball, he’s a big, big player there.
“I believe he will be worth a good few million in a year or two, a massive signing for us.
“I’ve said it since day one of the season, and it wasn’t just because he had a good game at the weekend, I’ve said it from day one, I’ve been saying ‘Binks, Binks, Binks!’
“So, he is the one for me.
“The other person that could have a case of starting that doesn’t start is Jay Dasilva at left-back, especially when Bidwell got injured.
“Came in for a couple of games, played well and then he didn’t play at the weekend, Kitching was preferred over him, he was the only player that had a poor game, to be honest.
“But, Binks is the one for me, Jay Dasilva is the other shout.”
Binks featured 18 times for Coventry last season while on loan from Bologna, starting on 15 occasions (all stats from Fbref).
So far this season, he has started eight of the team’s 12 fixtures, returning to the first XI in their last two games after an absence.
The Sky Blues have won in just two of his eight appearances in the Championship so far this season, scoring 10 and conceding 13.
Next up for Robins’ side is a trip to face Middlesbrough on 2 November, where Binks will be hoping to keep his place in the starting lineup.
Robins has come under some pressure due to his side’s poor form to start this campaign, but the win over Luton might be the performance that starts a turnaround.
The second half comeback was electric, and is the kind of result that can really boost confidence.
Robins may have found the right formula with that team, and should stick by it for the clash against Boro at the weekend.
If they can string together another win away to Michael Carrick’s side, then Coventry’s season might just be back on the right track.