Coventry City news is provided by CoventryLive as Sky Blues manager Mark Robins evaluates slow-starting summer recruit Tatsuhiro Sakamoto following his third Championship start.
Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, an intriguing Coventry City attacker, will ‘destroy’ defenders, according to Mark Robins, if he becomes completely acclimated to the Championship.
At the weekend, the Sky Blues’ new £1.2 million summer acquisition from Belgian club KV Oostende made only his third league start and completed 90 minutes for the second time in the division. The Japanese international was the fans’ choice for player of the match in the 1-1 draw with Norwich City, during which he came agonisingly close to grabbing a late winner with a diving header. It was undoubtedly an impressive performance.
The 26-year-old, who has mostly served as a substitute thus far this season, was used as a wing-back against the Canaries, starting the game on the right where he faced off against former Sky Blues player Sam McCallum. Later in the game, the manager made a number of late substitutions, and the player displayed his versatility by switching across to cover on the left.
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When asked how Sakamoto performed, City’s manager responded, “I believe he did OK but I still think he can be more upbeat. He once faced up against Sam McCallum one on one and decided to turn around, yet he is capable of destroying people. I’m interested in witnessing that, and as he gains confidence, he’ll act accordingly.
“He threw a few fairly excellent balls in,” he said, “and Ellis Simms got his head on one of them, but he just couldn’t get it on goal. But some nice play was present. He normally manages to find the spare man most of the time and he retains possession rather well. Because he can play both sides and in the ten, he is intelligent and adaptable. He is a genuinely good kid and has a lot of quality.
