Coventry have been dealt an extraordinarily tough opening hand, playing four of the current top five as introduction to their first Premier League campaign for 25 years, the top two away from home. Arsenal, Man City and Brighton are among the top-flight's established elite. Brighton are currently the league's top scorers, albeit five came against Coventry last weekend.
High-flying Hull City are perhaps the only outlier where achievable points were dropped. Frank Lampard's side remain pointless and without a goal heading into matchweek five. "We went one down from a moment of quality.
Welcome to the Premier League," he said after defeat to Brighton, the step up in class obviously overwhelming for a squad who could only boast five players with any meaningful Premier League experience (measured as 20+ appearances). Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player But the city of Coventry knows all about adversity. Supporters have felt its brute force many times since slipping out of the Premier League in 2001.
Four defeats is not enough to break them. Fans at the CBS Arena on Saturday made a demonstration of defiance; they will not turn their backs having fought so hard just to be here. That helps Lampard's cause immeasurably.
Coventry are competing - but only sporadically. They are aerially dominant but seem to be losing the battle on the ground. Their press is quick and co-ordinated in some areas of the pitch and not others.
They create chances but do not score. Adapting to the demands in every department will be key to survival. The physical profile of their squad should at least ensure they will not be bullied out of this division.
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