2 mistakes Awoniyi and Onyeka must avoid following Arsenal defeat

Taiwo Awoniyi and Frank Onyeka’s return to the Premier League began with a painful lesson as Coventry City were beaten 3-0 by defending champions Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, Afrik-Foot reports.

The newly promoted side were never expected to dominate Arsenal, particularly away from home, but the manner of their defeat exposed some of the habits they cannot afford to carry into the rest of their Premier League campaign.

Arsenal needed only 15 minutes to establish a two-goal advantage through Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka before Martin Ødegaard added a third shortly after half-time. Coventry, meanwhile, managed just one shot on target throughout the game.

For Awoniyi and Onyeka, the defeat should therefore serve as an early warning.

Coventry do not necessarily need to play like Arsenal to survive in the Premier League, but they must become more aggressive, more efficient and considerably less passive.

Two mistakes Awoniyi and Onyeka must avoid

1. Awoniyi must be more imposing

There is plenty of context around Awoniyi’s limited involvement against Arsenal.

The Nigerian had only recently completed his move from Nottingham Forest, and Frank Lampard explained after the game that the striker had not accumulated enough match minutes during pre-season.

Lampard said Awoniyi had mainly been involved in training over the previous 10 days and that giving him around 20 to 25 minutes was considered the right approach.

The Coventry manager nevertheless saw encouraging signs from his new striker, saying Awoniyi showed some “basic stuff” despite his limited preparation.

That is important because Awoniyi should not be judged too harshly on his first appearance, but once he reaches full fitness, the expectation has to be different.

Against Arsenal, there were moments when the Nigerian occupied Gabriel Magalhães and Cristhian Mosquera effectively and gave Coventry a physical presence they lacked for large periods.

The problem was what happened when the ball actually reached him. There were situations in which Awoniyi could have been more aggressive, attacked the space in front of him or attempted to turn his marker, but instead appeared to wait for support to arrive.

That might work in certain Championship situations, but in the Premier League, it can be fatal.

Coventry will spend plenty of time without the ball against better teams. They will therefore have to make their limited possession count.

That means when the ball reaches Awoniyi after a turnover, the striker cannot always wait for three or four teammates to join the attack.

Sometimes he has to go alone, hold the ball, turn a defender or simply attack the space behind the defence and force the opposition to retreat.

Awoniyi’s physical profile gives Coventry something different. He is powerful, quick over short distances and capable of occupying centre-backs. His job cannot simply be to wait for service inside the penalty area.

He has to become the starting point of Coventry’s counter-attacks, and will be particularly important against teams who dominate possession.

If Coventry recover the ball and Awoniyi receives it with nobody ahead of him, he cannot afford to make the attack predictable by waiting for support every time.

The Premier League is too unforgiving for that.

2. Onyeka must inspire Coventry with his experience

The Nigerian midfielder spent several seasons in England’s top flight with Brentford and understands the speed, physicality and tactical demands of the division.

That experience now needs to become more than a personal advantage. Against Arsenal, the Sky Blues were forced into a defensive posture, and that is understandable against the reigning champions.

But surviving in the Premier League cannot be built solely on defending for long periods and hoping the opposition eventually makes a mistake.

Onyeka has to help change that mentality. Against the Premier League’s better sides, Coventry need to be capable of turning defence into attack in as few passes as possible.

Onyeka is particularly suited to that role. His energy, ball-winning ability and willingness to cover ground can allow Coventry to disrupt attacks and immediately look forward, but the transition has to be decisive.

Another way Coventry must improve is through set-pieces. For a newly promoted team, dead-ball situations can be very valuable, like Hull City showed against Manchester United today.

Coventry cannot be passive and expect to survive

The Arsenal defeat should not be treated as evidence that Coventry are incapable of competing in the Premier League.

Arsenal are the defending champions, and the gulf in squad quality was obvious.

Coventry’s return to the top flight after 25 years was always going to involve difficult afternoons; even the defeat itself contained important lessons.

The problem would be allowing that pattern to become normal. Coventry’s survival battle will not be decided by whether they can beat Arsenal at the Emirates.

It will be decided by what they do against teams closer to their level, and that is where the lessons from Friday become important.