Tatsuhiro Sakamoto news is not what Coventry City need: View | OneFootball

Coventry City’s play-off hopes have taken a hit, as they have confirmed the news that Tatsuhiro Sakamoto is out injured for the remainder of the season.

The Sky Blues made another slow start to the season, but have somehow put a run of form together that has seen them in contention for a play-off spot once again.

In the last few weeks, Coventry have gone from being the chasers to sitting in the top six, but an inconsistent run of form has seen them slide a few places back down the table; in fact, they are now four adrift of the top six with 12 games remaining to play.

Mark Robins had to replace Gustavo Hamer and Viktor Gyokeres during the summer, so it has taken the new signings a bit to settle in, with Sakamoto being one of them. So, for him now to miss the rest of the campaign is a bitter blow for the club.

Tatsuhiro Sakamoto will miss the rest of the season

Coventry suffered a surprise 3-0 defeat to Preston North End last Friday, a defeat that dented their play-off hopes.

But not only was it a poor result and performance, the Sky Blues suffered another blow, as Robins confirmed that Tatsuhiro Sakamoto would miss the rest of the season.

The state of Sakamoto’s injury has yet to be revealed, after the 27-year-old fell awkwardly and was then taken to hospital.

Robins said of Sakamoto’s injury, via BBC Sport: “The main thing is he will recover.

"He will miss the rest of the season. I don't want to tell everybody what it is just yet because I want to let things settle down and make sure Tats is right, as I've not managed to speak to him other than by text.

"He will be maybe eight to 10 weeks and that sees us to the end of the season."

Tatsuhiro Sakamoto's injury is a big blow to Coventry City

As mentioned, Coventry City are currently in the midst of a play-off fight, despite making another sluggish start to the campaign.

So, for them to lose a player like Tatsuhiro Sakamoto at the biggest time of the season is a huge blow, as he’s been one of their most important players in this campaign.

The 27-year-old joined the Sky Blues in the summer transfer window, and while it took him a bit of time to get going, he will finish the campaign with seven goals and two assists in 29 league appearances.

Furthermore, the attacker was a key part of the club’s forward line, as he started 20 of the 29 games he featured in. Sakomoto was performing better than his xG was predicted, as it stood at 3.23, while his scoring frequency was 265 minutes, as per SofaScore.com.

The Japanese international was averaging 1.3 shots on goal per game, but only 0.5 were considered on target. While the winger also missed two big chances, he was important in creating chances for his teammates.

Sakamoto will finish the season with two assists, with him performing worse than his xA, with that standing at 3.30. The 27-year-old has been key for Coventry going forward, with him having 39.1 touches, which helped him create four big chances and averaging 0.7 key passes, as per SofaScore.com.

Sakamoto is not the finished product for Coventry, but his attacking threat and ability to chip in with goals and assists will be missed by the Championship side. So, with the news emerging that he will miss the rest of the season, this is where Robins will need his other attacking players to step up to the mark.

Haji Wright and Callum O’Hare have been two performers and have been influential in the club making a good go of a play-off place once again. While striker Ellis Simms is just coming off a hat-trick against Maidstone United in the FA Cup, the Coventry boss will hope he can take that form into the league from now until the end of the campaign.

The Sky Blues have struggled to fill the void left by Gyokeres’ goals, but if there was ever a time for a player to step up, it is now when the club have just lost another important attacking player.