Coventry City midfielder Matt Grimes issues bullish message to Sunderland ahead of second leg decider
Sunderland take a 2-1 lead over Coventry City heading into the second leg at the Stadium of Light
Coventry City midfielder Matt Grimes says his side remain fully focused on overturning their narrow deficit in the Championship play-off semi-final, despite a late setback in the first leg against Sunderland.
The Sky Blues fell to a 2-1 defeat at the CBS Arena after conceding a late goal, leaving them with work to do heading into the second game at the Stadium of Light. But Grimes insists belief within the squad remains strong. “We have to win the game,” Grimes said post-match. “We are right in it. It was disappointing to concede last minute, but it is what it is — we have to go there and win.”
The midfielder admitted uncertainty over how Sunderland might approach Tuesday’s second leg but made it clear that Coventry’s mission is unchanged. “I have no idea how they will approach the game, to be honest,” he continued. “But our job remains the same.”
Grimes also took time to defend teammate Milan van Ewijk, whose mistake led to Sunderland’s late winner. The Dutch right-back has been a key figure for Coventry this season, and despite the costly error, Grimes was quick to show support. “Milan is an unbelievable player; he has been brilliant for us this season,” he said. “He plays near enough every game, and he is one of the best right-backs in the league, in my opinion, but mistakes happen in football.”
The midfielder praised the unity within the dressing room and is confident van Ewijk will respond well as his team prepares for a crucial second leg. “We will pick him up, no problem at all,” he added. “We’ve got such a good group, such good camaraderie, so we’ll all be together and get on and fully focus on the second leg.”
What did Le Bris say after the game against Coventry City?
Le Bris admitted that he had been uncomfortable in the first half with Coventry’s dominance down their right flank but believed his half-time tweaks proved key.
“We did really well this season and of course, the last period was a little bit different but it was our plan to refresh our squad to create the condition to have the full squad available,” Le Bris said. You saw how important it was today, the energy and the commitment was there. You need this in play-off football.
“I was not really comfortable in the first half, they overloaded their right side and we were outnumbered. I think it was a little bit tough for us. We fixed the problem during the half-time tweak, so even if we conceded crosses and throw-ins in the second half, the balls we were recovering were different. They were better for us, and we felt it was possible to create the link to counter-attack. This was our game plan because we knew have those threats with our forwards. They can manage big spaces, and they showed that it was possible.
“It’s tough to create this mindset to defend the box to be fair but it’s a really strong quality of this team,” Le Bris added. “I was surprised early in the season to see this behaviour because they want to defend their box, their goalkeeper and their goal. They stick together all the time. Even when it’s tough, you can feel this energy. In this period, it’s more about mindset than tactics and technical qualities. For sure, it helps. The mindset is so important.
“We [have been] talking a lot about complacency, consistency, discipline, because young players, before making mistakes, can just be driven by the dynamic of the game, the score. Now the game is finished, so I was really impressed again today. I was impressed by the level of maturity today. It was tough, it wasn’t an easy game, but they stayed connected and grounded in our principles. This was the main principle of our success today.”
