Sunderland’s sneaky Championship play-off semi-final tactic to stop major Coventry weapon
Sunderland have taken drastic measures to tackle Coventry’s long throw-in threat as they look to book their place at Wembley.
The Black Cats take a 2-1 lead into their Championship play-off semi-final second leg after an impressive away win against Frank Lampard’s side at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
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Sunderland are bidding to return to the Premier League for the first time since 2017Credit: GettyA late Eliezer Mayenda winner two minutes from time in the first leg gave the Mackems a narrow lead heading back to the Stadium of Light tonight.
And they are keen to make home advantage count, having resorted to extreme lengths to restrict one of Coventry’s main weapons.
The Sky Blues made full use of full-back Milan van Ewijk’s lethal long throw-ins in the first leg, with the Sunderland defence holding firm to head away a flurry of set-piece deliveries.
But their opponents will have a harder time employing this tactic away from their home ground.
Read more on eflThat is because the staff at the Stadium of Light have moved their advertising hoardings closer to the pitch in a bid to curb Van Ewijk’s huge threat.
talkSPORT’s Adrian Durham revealed the sneaky move whilst previewing tonight’s clash from the commentary box for Sheffield United’s 3-0 play-off second leg win over Bristol City.
He shared: “The little bit of news I’ve got from the Stadium of Light is this – my spies tell me that earlier today Sunderland had the LED perimeter advertising boards at the Stadium of Light moved in towards the pitch by two metres.”
Durham then quizzed co-commentator, former Norwich striker Dean Ashton, on the tactic: “Now as we know, Dean Ashton, Coventry have got a long throw weapon.
“That’s a bit sneaky from Sunderland, isn’t it?”
Ashton replied: “Very [sneaky]. But why wouldn’t you try and use every single advantage that you absolutely could?”
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The Black Cats’ 52,000-capacity ground has had some slight modifications ahead of their play-off clashCredit: Getty
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Milan van Ewijk will face an obstacle to his lethal long throw-in deliveries at the Stadium of LightHe then joked: “What they don’t know is that Van Ewijk is an excellent hurdler.”
Ashton was quick to praise Sunderland for looking to nullify Coventry’s set-piece threat, which he admitted could cause them major problems in the second leg.
He added: “It could make a difference because they loaded that up constantly, Coventry, in that first leg and it didn’t cause them too many problems.
“But it could do if they were able to use it continuously in that second leg. I quite like it.”
Stressing that the Black Cats’ tactic was within the rules, he added: “It’s a home advantage. You can do it. Of course you can.”
Despite this, the one-cap former England international also suggested the tactic could actually benefit Coventry, who argued the time taken to set up their throw-ins in the first leg had slowed their momentum at times.
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Van Ewijk saw his error lead to Sunderland’s winning goal in the first legCredit: Getty
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The Dutchman’s mistake allowed Eliezer Mayende to grab the winner with his ninth goal of the seasonCredit: Shutterstock Editorial“It took them so long to set those long throws up that it almost felt counterproductive for Coventry.
“So actually it could be a blessing in disguise in a way.”
Although Van Ewijk’s throw-ins have drawn plenty of attention, Ashton reminded that it was another area of his game which proved costly for Coventry in the first leg.
In the match’s dying moments, the Dutchman saw his under-hit backpass pounced on by Mayenda, who raced clear to net the winner.
On this, Ashton said: “And he needs to work on his back passes as well rather than his long throws, because that has potentially cost them getting through to Wembley, Coventry.”
And while Sunderland are looking to use their home advantage to devious effect, club icon Kevin Phillips has insisted the Stadium of Light’s atmosphere could be their biggest weapon.
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Kevin Phillips scored 130 goals in 235 games for SunderlandCredit: GETTYThe former goal machine spent six years on Wearside, helping the Black Cats win promotion to the Premier League in 1999, and he claimed the fans inside the 52,000-seater stadium can decide a match.
He told talkSPORT Breakfast: “It [the Stadium of Light] has something about it.
“I remember that season when we got into the Premier League. We beat a lot of teams in the tunnel because of the noise.
“You could see fear at times. We’ve been there. You’ve seen the fear sometimes in the opposition’s faces, [you think to yourself]: ‘If we start the game well, get on top, the crowd get behind you, then it’s going to make it very difficult for the away team’.
“The fans will play their part tonight without a shadow of a doubt. It’s just about the players stepping up, performing, not losing their nerve and sticking to the game plan.”
Listen to live commentary of Sunderland vs Coventry on talkSPORT this evening.
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