A Word On… The Defenders (2025-26)

A certain Scottish hairdryer once said “Attack wins you games; defence wins you titles”. As such, it seems a little strange that we’ve won the league title with the defence being arguably the most improvable area of our squad. That’s not to say that our rearguard is without merit of course; a truly bad defence would have led Carl Rushworth to not be in receipt of the league’s Golden Glove award, for a start. So what can be said for the units that make up our back line?

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Something has to be said about how much of a difference the retention of Milan Van Ewijk’s services made to our outlook for the past season as the summer transfer window came to a close. Despite growing and legitimate concerns that a player considered by many to be the best in his position across the league would go on and test himself at a higher level (in this case the Bundesliga with VfL Wolfsburg), Van Ewijk would stay with the club. Better still, he would go on to have what has probably been his best and most consistent season at Coventry City so far.

Over the course of the two campaigns prior to this one, Milan has suffered with periods where his form has dipped as his fitness levels waned. This time around, even during the team’s sticky patch in January, Van Ewijk has maintained a greater consistency in his game, and this could be attributed to his improved fitness levels, which is scary considering the high level he already had. In the 44 league games he was in the squad for, he started all bar the final game away at Watford; coming off the bench for the final twenty minutes of that one. Even then, he was only substituted off in seven of those starts. Simply put, the man is a machine.

If I had to nitpick, and this may not even be a fault in his game as much as a tactical instruction, I would say that there have been times this season where Milan has received the ball on the right of the back four, and instead of opening up his body to try and progress the ball forward, he simply plays it back inside. Granted, he may not have the same raw dribbling ability of some of his counterparts out wide, but he does have the pace to at least try and knock it past a man. I wish he had tried it more often. Again though, this is a minor irritation rather than a glaring flaw.

It is nigh-on impossible to dislike Milan Van Ewijk; both as a player and as a personality. His extended contract allows him to get his chance to showcase his talents in the top-flight at last, and while I think he’d be happy to discuss a new contract with the club especially if we stay up, it would also be a lot harder to keep the vultures at bay as more eyes focus on him next term.

Season Rating: A
Premier League Squad Level: Starter

Signed as the man to supposedly replace Milan Van Ewijk; the first thing that stopped Kaine Kesler-Hayden from becoming our leading right-back was the obvious fact that Van Ewijk never left. Another issue hampering his breakthrough this past term, was a persistent niggle with his ankle, seemingly picked up during the pre-season match against Real Betis. As such, this season has essentially been a tease for Kesler-Hayden, and the fans wanting to see him come good.

He has impressed in short spells whenever he has been given the opportunity to. Like Van Ewijk, Kesler-Hayden is an attack-minded full-back who is quick enough to recover from his forays forward. Unlike Van Ewijk, he seems to be more comfortable when needing to beat a man one-on-one, should the situation call for it. Furthermore, he is more than happy to play on the opposite flank, and this versatility has given him a window into the side where possible.

However, there are still signs of rawness in his game. This is perhaps best highlighted by one moment at Portman Road where, perhaps still feeling a bit cautious due to the ongoing ankle issue, he backed out of a 50/50 challenge, ultimately leading to Ipswich’s opener in a 3-0 defeat. With that in mind, it would have been nice for him to get a few more meaningful minutes under his belt across the season, as even though he made 24 appearances this season, 10 of those had his minutes played in the single digits. Such is the life when you’re second-fiddle to a peerless player who is in great form, at a team who is challenging for the title and can’t take many risks.

Kaine Kesler-Hayden is a promising player; one who should ultimately come good, if he is given the opportunity. Having had a full season before last at Preston North End, where he earned three Player of the Year accolades, he may not need to prove himself at Championship level per se. The question is now, can he be relied upon at the next level? There is enough there to say that he can, at least in small doses to begin with.

Season Rating: C
PL Squad Level: Second-Choice

My hero. Probably the hero of many a Sky Blue, for that goal against Blackburn.

Our best outright defender, Thomas has shown good all-round ability when undergoing his prime directives. With a deceptive turn of pace, Thomas has often produced several last-ditch recoveries that have gotten his teammates and himself out of potential mires.

Often seen as his biggest drawback and quite frankly a liability, his passing still remains the area of his game with the most room for improvement.

One thing that hasn’t changed since last season’s analysis, is that Bobby Thomas is our best centre-half, in terms of offering the complete package. Out of the four centre-halves in the squad, he is the one whose presence is most missed when he is not playing. When he is, he has shown a growing maturity in his game compared to last season; with far fewer rash moments (the red card at St. Andrew’s shows that there is still room to improve in that capacity).

In possession, Thomas’ game has certainly improved. While still prone to telegraphing his forward passes to the opponents, he has shown better decision-making in when to play through the lines; meaning those poor turnovers have been far less frequent. He has also been aided by his team-mates constantly providing him with the simple short option. His long passing, while still occasionally erratic, has improved also.

Despite fewer standout moments overall, Bobby Thomas got the moment, with his superb header at Ewood Park being the goal that secured promotion. What is exciting about him, is that he looks capable of improving further still – something that is abetted by the rumoured interest in a couple of Premier League sides in the recent January window. Once again, it would be ideal for the club to recruit a reliable, experienced PL centre-half to pair alongside him, to elevate him further.

Season Rating: B+
PL Squad Level: Starter

Risk versus reward is an easy way to surmise Liam Kitching’s style of play. As stated last time:

Where Kitching lets himself down is in what would also be considered his best attribute; his aggression.

… he likes to step up when defending, and is very much on the front-foot when a ball is played into the defensive third. However, should he not win the ball in doing so, or if his teammates can’t pick up any subsequent loose balls, he leaves himself out of position

There isn’t really much else that can be added to any assessment of Liam Kitching’s defensive acumen. Some games require his best-foot-forward approach to defending, while other games are made more difficult by it.

Where Liam Kitching adds value to this side is twofold. One is as vice-captain. Never one to shy away from confrontation on the pitch, Kitching is the player you want on your side when other teams come to fight. The other boon to Kitching’s game is his ball progression; with his willingness to spread the play and also to carry the ball out from the back line should the opportunity present itself. But in that same breath lies the risk vs reward ethos, as sometimes his propensity to switch sides is met with a low-quality pass attempt that leads to a turnover; and should he venture forward with the ball at his feet, he often gets a little too far upfield, leaving a lot of space in behind should the opponents be able to counter immediately. But that is the nature of the beast, and it is nice to have that progressive option that our other defenders don’t necessarily provide.

It seems clear that Frank Lampard likes Liam Kitching, but if you were to choose between replacing him and Bobby Thomas in the starting eleven, it would be difficult to fight Kitching’s corner.

Season Rating: C+
PL Squad Level: Squad Player

A forgotten man for the first half of the campaign; Joel Latibeaudiere finally set foot back on the pitch late in December with a point to prove. He has, to an extent, done so.

Thrown into the starting XI from out of the blue, following illness to both Thomas & Kitching; away to Southampton; and having not played a minute of competitive football at all up to that point in the season; Latibeaudiere shone in difficult circumstances as he exemplified the teams’ resilience to hold on to a point with a one-man disadvantage. He has continued to be a consistent performer at the back.

When central, Lati has generally been solid. A good tackler of the ball and with a decent passing range, he has rarely made mistakes or been the direct cause of goals conceded. This is counterbalanced with a lesser height to his contemporaries, and lack of pace

What Latibeaudiere lacks in physicality, he makes up for by being positionally sound. In contrast to Liam Kitching, Lati is happy to let attackers come to him, waiting for the ideal moment to make a challenge. One thing that has changed is that he seems to keep his passing to a far simpler repertoire; rarely seeking to play a diagonal pass in favour of keeping things ticking over. Even when under pressure in possession, he exudes a calmness to back up his composed defending.

It has been noted that whenever Latibeaudiere has played this season, the team has not lost. Add to that his well-spoken nature off the pitch and apparent leadership qualities, it is fair to say that Latibeaudiere has silenced a few who had been more highly critical of him following previous campaigns with the club. It remains to be seen whether or not his intelligence will aid him when making the step up, or if his perceived physical setbacks will show him up instead. We will wait and see.

Season rating: B-
PL Squad Level: Squad player

With the departure of Luis Binks to Brondby, there was a gap in the squad for a fourth centre-half. Luke Woolfenden’s name was briefly brought up as a potential target, before a protracted pursuit preceding a pricing-out of Hull’s Charlie Hughes. The club’s eyes then returned to Woolfenden, who was willing to sign, and available from recently-relegated Ipswich for a fee that, when compared to what Hull were reportedly wanting for Hughes, seemed nominal. A player who has experienced promotion to the PL as well as a season playing in it, for a decent price, seemed like a good deal for the club.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t quite worked out for Luke Woolfenden over the course of the season. Having to bide his time to get into a winning side; Woolfenden would get his first start in mid-October, in a solid-but-unspectacular showing as the team won 2-1 away at Portsmouth. His next start, the Halloween fixture away at Wrexham, would prove to be a horror show under the moonlight for the Woolf; at fault for at least two of Kieffer Moore’s three goals in a game that ended our unbeaten start to the season.

His next start came nearly two months later, in the same St. Mary’s showdown that saw Latibeaudiere make his season debut. This was a showcase of where Woolfenden excels; dealing with the ball coming at him in his own box. In other outings, Woolfenden has shown himself to appear most comfortable in the middle of a back three where he can focus on the basics of defending. Where he appears to struggle the most is in possession, coming across as the most technically limited of our four centre-halves, and often lacking composure on the ball. He also doesn’t seem to suit playing in a high line, and seems to struggle with balls going around the side of him. Perhaps there is value to him being a back-to-the-wall defender as we face greater attacking threats next season. You hope he can come good, but it looks likely that we may seek an improvement on him this summer.

Season Rating: C-
PL Squad Rating: Backup

Perhaps it’s a sign of Jay Dasilva’s importance to to the way this team plays, that had it not been for his sending-off against Southampton, he would have been all-but ever-present this season. Having gone from his first season two years ago, where he would struggle to win few admirers, to a breakthrough sophomore campaign that showed his capability but with notable drawbacks; it is testament to his development that Dasilva has become a player that most fans have now warmed to. It could be said that such a growth is abetted by him being allowed to play in a system that suits his skillset.

He is still not without some failings. It would be very easy to point at his lack of height, and the fact that many teams have attempted to take advantage of that. In Frank Lampard’s system though, Dasilva, like the rest of the team, are more likely to challenge for the second ball rather than win the initial duel – ergo going some way to nullify any opponent’s aerial advantage. He also still seems to be found flat-footed by balls in behind him; a constant source of joy for many opposing wingers. This, in conjuction with Liam Kitching’s willingness to leave space behind him, has led to many more chances coming down the left side of our defence than on the right.

Should he not be chasing a shadow, Dasilva is still defensively competent, possessing a strong tackle. Where he really shines though is with the ball at his feet. Despite his small frame, he often finds himself holding off the pressure from an opponent or two, and then using his tidy footwork to play his way out of trouble; either by linking up with Matt Grimes or Ephron Mason-Clark, or by dribbling into a pocket of space. He can also float a decent cross too. Despite his technical skill, he is still yet to score for the club, though that is usually due to a reluctance to pull the trigger. We’ll skim over his attempt against Bristol City.

Dasilva’s tidiness in possession offers a nice counterbalance to Milan Van Ewijk’s more direct approach on the opposite flank. When the team is in attack mode we see the best of him, but how inclined the team will be to play that way against better opponents, and how he copes against them next season may mean he could be held back a little. He’s done enough to earn a chance to prove himself again, but I would suspect the club would like to get another first-team quality left back in to compete for the berth.

Season Rating: B
PL Squad Level: Squad Player

You can’t kill the Terminator. Even though Jake Bidwell’s time at the club is in its winter, he remains evergreen in that he can still be called upon when needed, and does a servicable job.

There’s nothing really left to say with regards to what Jake Bidwell is about. He’s just Jake Bidwell, and he’ll Jake Bidwell for as long has he is Jake Bidwell. Just like his chant, there are no frills, just straight business. Jake Bidwell.

He’s losing a bit of what pace he had, and his complete lack of technique compared to his peers in the squad really holds the team back when building up in the way they otherwise would with Dasilva. Unless he is kept around as a backup centre-half, it seems that the team has evolved past the need for Jake Bidwell’s skillset, although his influence off the pitch may see him survive another summer as he develops into something of a cheerleader in the squad a la Ben Wilson. With a year left on his contract, the club may cash in and reinvest what they can into the aforementioned new left-back to compete with Dasilva. If he does see the year out, the club won’t be making a huge monetary loss at least.

Season Rating: C-
PL Squad Level: Backup at best

Brought into the club on a free transfer from Spanish Segunda Division side Granada; just what the club’s intentions were for Miguel Angel Brau remain a mystery. Perhaps he was brought in to be the desired competitor to Jay Dasilva’s starting berth, or maybe he was seen as someone who would develop into the role, with cameos allowing him to grow into a Championship-capable player. As it transpires, it definitely isn’t the former, and has barely been the latter.

Four fleeting subsitute appearances in the league, and two full matches in the League Cup that seemed to pass him by, were all the minutes that Brau had to his name, until that game at St. Mary’s. Given half an hour to do what he can for the team, Brau certainly put the effort in. How fruitful that effort was did not matter as much as the final score, but one thing that came about as a result was the Spaniard being handed his first league start, at home against Ipswich. Such a baptism of fire would determine if Brau would sink or swim at this level. In the 2-0 loss, he doggy-paddled.

Similarly to Dasilva, Brau’s inclination is to attack. His defensive play is however, from what we have seen at least, not as good. What hampers him most is his positioning, finding himself in bizarre areas sometimes during a move, that means the team are woefully exposed on the counter. He still has a lot to learn at this level, and sadly as the team takes the step up, it will be very hard for him to develop whilst at the club next season. A loan is the most optimal move for him, and hopefully whomever takes him on is willing to take the risk with him. It may also be beneficial to see him repurposed as a player who is better playing in a wide midfield role. How he and how the club are looking following his return from the hypothetical loan will steer him through the crossroads he is at.

Season Rating: D-
PL Squad Level: Last Resort

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As said, the key areas of improvement over the summer would be at left-back, where a good all-rounder would be nice; and a left-sided centre-half, preferably a calming head with good Premier League experience. The right-hand side is solid and of least concern.

As you can imagine, the next post will be focusing on the midfield. If you missed the review for the goalkeepers, you can read it here.