In the early stages of the campaign, the competition has been hotting up, between four Centre Halves who are all in truth deserving of one of the three Centre Half berths Robins operates in his system. Here’s a lowdown on the four Centre Halves in question.
Michael Rose
Michael Rose underwent an operation on his hip, which forced the Scot to miss pre-season and subsequently cost him his starting place in these early stages. However, Rose’s ability cannot be forgotten about. Rose was arguably one of League One’s standout defenders last season, never mind just for Coventry. Reports were coming through that Rose and teammate Hyam were shortlisted for a potential Scotland call-up, before the Coronavirus pandemic put pay to that. Signing on a free from Ayr, Rose impressed very quickly and was surprisingly very consistent for a young Centre Half with little to no experience in English football. Rose will be needed when the gruelling midweek matches kick in due to the rushed campaign that is due ahead, so the Scot won’t be short of any game time.
Kyle McFadzean
Going into the campaign, it was expected Kyle McFadzean was going to take a back seat as the Sky Blues prepared for their Championship return. With alot of fans doubting if he could make the step up due to his older age. However, Kyle McFadzean has shown his importance as the leader of the back three. Kyle has also shown his capabilities as a captain being able to guide the side during the absence of main skipper, Liam Kelly. While Fadz may make the odd mistake, or be caught out due to his lack of pace. His importance can’t be neglected. McFadzean is the only Championship veteran the Sky Blues have in their squad carrying over 100 appearances in the division. Whether Fadz keeps his place during the whole season remains to be seen, but it can’t be denied he’s earnt his position at the moment.
Dominic Hyam
Hyam is the success story of the four Centre Halves, having joined the Sky Blues from humble beginnings and brutal struggles to link up with a severely neglected under 23 side to where he is now. Since he’s been apart of the Sky Blues, Hyam has developed leaps and bounds as a Centre Half. Two promotions on his CV in three years says it all. Hyam was also the 18/19 player of the season, and a crucial part of that brutal back 3 in the title winning 19/20 season. Dominic Hyam shown he was capable of Championship football when he put his body on the line, quite literally against a top quality Bournemouth side to keep the Sky Blues in the game for as long as he could. Just like Rose, Hyam will be looking to impress in the Championship and even potentially earn himself a Scotland call up down the road.
Leo Østigård
The 20-year old prospect has already earnt himself rave reviews since joining the Sky Blues on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion, bolstering an already strong Centre Half trio. Østigård has shown to add an extra ariel threat in attacking set-peices, also thanks to the improved crossing by other new signing, Gustavo Hamer. Leo’s impact wasn’t unnoticed as he would earn himself a call up for the Norway senior side for his efforts. Before this, Østigård was making a name for himself in the German 2nd tier during a loan spell with St Pauli. It’s only a matter of time until Østigård reaps his rewards if he keeps performing how he has been.
What to expect in the coming weeks
Don’t be at all surprised to see all four Centre Halves rotate in the coming weeks after international duty when a gruelling period between the 17th of October until the 7th of November with 7 games being played within three weeks. Starting with an away fixtures to Brentford and ending with a trip to Nottingham Forest before the November round of international duty. This short period will be crucial for the four Centre Halves where competition could get very exciting in order to consolidate their berths in defence. It’s crucial that they perform extremely well, as well as helping the Sky Blues get those needed points on the board in their bid for survival.
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