EFL Championship 2022/23: A tactical guide of what to expect from Coventry City and Luton Town in the playoff final – tactical preview

Success is not a destination, its a journey, and sometimes, all it takes is one more step to reach your end goal.

After being together in League Two during the 2017/18 season, Coventry City and Luton Town are one step away from reaching the Premier League.

The Sky Blues coach Mark Robins called it a game for the romantics. People talk about journeys, where weve come from,” Robins told the BBC.

Coventry outlasted Middlesbrough to join Luton, who beat Sunderland and at Wembley on 27th May, the EFL Championship playoff final — the richest game in football — will be held, to see the final qualifier for the Premier League alongside Burnley and Sheffield United.

This tactical analysis preview will be an analysis of the tactics that may be employed by both teams in the final game who have a clear English identity in their style of play, considering the fact that the previous two matches between them ended in a draw, leaving the outcome completely undecided.

Coventry City

This season, Coventry City has made a remarkable comeback after finishing in 12th place last year. The team, with Mark Robins in his second era, has displayed great strength and determination, ultimately securing a fifth-place finish and qualifying for the playoff final.

The 53-year-old has shown a preference for utilising a back three formation, as depicted in the graphic below, using 3-4-1-2 for around 41% and 3-4-2-1 for 14% of the games. The wingback formations provide width, and a defensive solidity (the existence of three centre-backs) while maintaining a central presence up front.

His teams style appears energetic and mixes between direct, vertical play and a possession approach, with a focus on attacking in a straight line rather than relying on recirculation. As per FBref, Burnley lead the league possession rate with 64%, while the Sky Blues own 46.9%.

Coventry maintain a 3-2-4-1 structure in possession, utilising a 3-2 base, a box-midfield and stretching the width of the pitch by the wingbacks while their striker, Viktor Gyökeres, pins the oppositions defensive line. The 3-2-4-1 gives them a static positional spread, making the vertical play easier.