How Lampard Used Sakamoto to BREAK Middlesbrough

Well it's not every day that a top of the table clash lives up to the hype as much as that and we're going to get into why this game produced moments like this. An absolutely unbelievable night and what better way to kick it off than with the fans Sky Blue fans, TV, Miles and Luke what a night to be a Coventry City fan. Oh what a night we're back up where we belong and if there was ever a statement needed that was it tonight and Miles this has been a tricky period of time for your side it's the Borough team that are in form how big is this result for your team? It's absolutely huge I mean like you're just saying you know I've dipped in form recently over the last 10-13 games there's a little bit a bit worrying going into this game tonight we knew that we had to get three points out of this and this tonight just showed that the team can still do it and it was just that togetherness that we've seen at the beginning of the season we're seeing it tonight let's just hope we can just keep pushing this now because this is what dreams are made of you can't believe what we're feeling all of us the Sky Blue Army and everyone it's just unbelievable it really is. You guys touched on it before as well but it's well documented just what this club have been through over the years how vindicating is this journey that you guys are on it almost feels like you're the straight and narrow path and you came through one of the biggest tests your away form has been questioned your home form no doubt about it. Yeah we've had a dip we were doing really well up until November and then it was certainly just went downhill a lot of fans stopped believing but everything we've been through for over the years we just feel like now we're just on the cusp of the promised land and quite rightly so it'd be nice to be back up there. Miles I have to talk about Hadji Wright this is a man that lived up to the billing today a hat trick against the team that was top of the league how good is he you hear the fans singing his name right now how good was he today? He was unplayable tonight the performance he put in the shift we've been wanting that for a while and we've not been seeing it and tonight we're seeing it from him but not just from him but from everyone but I'm so pleased that he managed to get a hat trick and we finally got a penalty but I'm so pleased for him hopefully it keeps it kicks him on now for the rest of the season we've got 14 more games and hopefully we'll see that Hadji Wright now for the next 14 games because he was unplayable tonight. Everyone's bouncing now everyone's full of elation you guys are top of the league in case you didn't know but what I wanted to know was what was the fan sentiment before kickoff how were you guys feeling was there anxiety in there would you have taken a and there's a lot of anxiety especially the way that Borough played against Sheppard United I mean myself I thought you know I'd have probably taken the draw but coming in when that first goal went in I just felt like I needed another one and another one another one I always wanted that two goal cushion to feel comfortable then you know 3-1 I thought you know counting down the minutes and at 85 minutes 86 minutes I could start to relax my heartbeat started to slow down we're approaching the final straight of the season now what do these boys need to do to ensure that this isn't just a magical season but a season that will get you into the Premier League I think now they've just got to kick on from this they're going to put that performance in now for the next 14 games and they could be they could write history in in the history books and they could become our heroes for the rest of our lives I was there in 87 for the FA Cup they became heroes in my life these boys now can be heroes for all these youngsters this little lad here everyone behind us here never seen this in the Premier League we've seen us in the Premier League I've seen it but these guys haven't and this is this means such a lot just to the fan base we are a community we're all together we've backed these boys all the way from League Two we could have fallen out the Football League and we are now on the brink of getting to the Premier League this is well Kwaku I couldn't have said it better myself the Sky Blues are top of the league and I can't wait to get into it let's get into it well as the crowd filters out of the CBS arena and the dust settles on this top of the table clash I guess it's important to dive into just how crucial this game was because of the respective forms Kwaku yeah it's almost like it was the unstoppable force versus the immovable object you think about how good Coventry have been at home here they're the best team in the league and when you look at Middlesbrough's away form they're the best team in the league away from home the kings of the road and so it was really interesting to see the match-ups on this team and we know Coventry haven't been in the best form it's been well documented a three game winless run heading into this one the most informed team in the division six games in a row they've won and so it was pressure on Coventry and we saw that play out in an interesting type of way now you said Coventry hadn't won in three but when they did it was with three very special goals Kwaku three very very impressive goals three different goals and Hadji Wright really came to the party Hadji Wright some Coventry fans are calling him the first goal it was a fox in the box beautiful skill from Sakamoto he passed that over to Rodoni who was very instrumental a midfielder that kind of did everything for them and then you see at the end of this Hadji Wright doing what all good strikers do the second goal it was long ball a direct piece of play from the goalkeeper ball over the top as a defender you should never let the ball bounce they did Hadji Wright used his strength as a target man and finished it brilliantly and the third goal there's a beautiful finish from him from the penalty spot we'll talk about that in a little bit more detail in terms of how the penalty came about but from Hadji Wright's point of view a big big game and huge moments from the big striker and listen Hadji Wright rightly so is getting all the plaudits it is a team game and it was a team effort certainly for goal number one talk to me about Sakamoto today oh my goodness he was tireless the energizer bunny on the right hand side it wasn't only his ability on the ball but also off the ball leading the press for his side and he gave his left back absolute fits he was he was very very good and this first goal was just it's emblematic of what Coventry did all night long and it got them going if you look at it here it starts from Hadji Wright the man who eventually finishes off the move he plays the ball to Sakamoto and if you pause it here the brilliant thing about Coventry all night long is that the man on the ball had options left right and centre but what does Sakamoto do he decides to go for it by himself a beautiful piece of skill there Maradona's looking down smiling at the CBS arenas he sees Sakamoto take on his man and Maradona turn he plays the ball which is always the important thing to do the skill but if you don't play the ball it's worth nothing plays to he plays the ball across the box like you can see here and finished expertly by Hadji Wright before we delve into Sakamoto in terms of the incredible game he had in the first and second half look at the setup from kickoff you see where the point of emphasis is for Coventry on the right hand side you have three four five players lined up on the right hand side and that's what played out for the rest of the game they gave Matt Target Fitz more on him later but look at the heat map on the right hand side concentrated down that wing down that flank and like I said getting the ball tireless work on and off the ball leading the press from the right hand side and honestly I was so so impressed Dan the energy that he showed of course you have to come off in the second half he was expending so much energy it was a huge reason why Coventry won tonight and it wasn't just positioning for position's sake right they literally had a target in mind 100% 100% and I almost feel sorry for him but Matty Target he had a long long evening um the left back for Barra was run ragged you saw Magritte come and have to drop in and help him out you saw Hayden Hackney dropping deep to help him out he was he was yeah he was run ragged by Sakamoto and also by the other forwards for Coventry who came over to that side exploits the weakness and you see it here gives away a foul out of frustration Kit Sakamoto and that creates an opportunity for Coventry to get the ball into the box and unfortunately for Target the penalty comes on his side as well and if you take a deeper look at the penalty that was given away by Target you see in the second half there was a change of tact from Coventry is more long balls a long ball comes over the top Eccles brings it down he sends Target to the shops he brings it back in and unfortunately if you slow it down here look at the body position and that's a man that has been run ragged all evening his arms away from his body I know he appealed it but if you look at his face right there you know that he knows it's a penalty and unfortunately when they scored that third it was game over but who stepped up to take the penalty Haji Wright and a lot of pressure on his shoulders right he talked to some Coventry fans and he's been up and down this season he tucks it away to the keeper's right hand side and and that was game set and match despite the fact that Barra managed to get a goal later on well Haji Wright a huge night for him he's now not only equaled his tally of last season but he's gone one further 12 in the whole of last season 13 already this season how crucial is he for Coventry's charge to the Premier League yeah we talked to the Coventry fans and they know that he blows hot and cold and maybe the touch isn't the crispest all the time but what he does is he scores goals and there was no bigger occasion than tonight here at the CBS arena under the lights all eyes on me effectively um and these are the two best teams in the division so far and the fact he's turned up with a hat trick and three very different goals that would definitely please manager Frank Lampard and there he is revving up the Coventry fans his signature after a big win here at CBS and the fans really needed that they stuck with their manager they sung his name throughout the whole evening you see just how much it means to Frank Lampard and if he manages to get this club into the Premier League it'll be absolutely massive and listen every win is important in your bid for promotion but Coventry have been questioned Frank Lampard has been questioned after a blistering start to the first half of the season he has moments where this game almost fell all or nothing so it's an extra incentive for him isn't it that he's won Dan the pressure was all on on Coventry they were the side that needed to win they're the side that came to this game out of form three games winless in the championship and if you look at the former borough they were the most informed team in the division six wins in a row and we talked about so yeah the onus was on Coventry to get a result and the result they got and one of the biggest games of the season let's see how it plays out for the rest of the season but there's no doubt about it those Coventry players will be full of confidence well something had to give and give it did at the top end of the championship Coventry in lead position by one point for now at least but tonight is a huge statement in their bid for promotion they're singing outside will they be singing come may we'll find out and we will see you soon for more analysis on the championship on the ITV sport youtube