Bayan fiye da shekaru 25 na rashin kasancewa, Coventry City sun koma Premier League — kuma wasanninsu na farko ya ya ba da sauri kiran kalubale da ke gabansu. Kashi da Arsenal a Emirates Stadium da maki 3-0 a daren Juma'a ya yi zafi, amma manajan Frank Lampard ya ƙarfafa 'yan wasansa su ɗauka a matsayin darasi ba bala'i ba.
Arsenal sun riga sun yanke shi da kafin minti na 49, alhali Coventry sun kai bugun ƙwallon a raga sau ɗaya kawai cikin mintoci 90. Duk da haka, magoya bayan Sky Blues da suka tafi tare da ƙungiyar sun ci gaba da waka har ƙarshen wasa, alama ce ta ƙaunar magoya bayan da suka jure wa shekaru masu wahala don koma wannan matakin.
Dogon tafiya na dawo
Bayyanar ta ƙarshe ta Coventry a Premier League ita ce ranar 19 ga Mayu 2001 — wasa da Bradford City da ya ƙare maki 0-0, wanda ya kawo ƙarshen shekaru 34 na taka wasanni a ɓangaren sama. Bayan haka ya zo dogon tafiya mai cike da wahalhalu: shekaru 11 a Championship, faɗuwa zuwa League One, lokaci a League Two, korar ƙungiyar daga gidansu na tarihi Highfield Road, rigingimun mallakarwa, da lokutan buga wasannin gida a Northampton da Birmingham.
Wannan dawowar ita ce mafi dadewa tsakanin bayyanarwar ƙungiya daya a tarihin Premier League. Cin kofin Championship da maki 11 fiye da Ipswich Town a kakar da ta gabata ya zama ƙarshen shekarun sake gina ƙungiyar.
Zuba jari da niyyar gaba
Tun bayan haɓakawa, Coventry sun kashe kusan £130 miliyan a kasuwar canja wurin 'yan wasa, suna karya rikodin su na klab sau huɗu a lokaci guda na bazara. Daga cikin sabon masu zuwa akwai dan wasan tsakiya Frank Onyeka, dan baya na tsakiya Aurele Amenda, dan wasan gefen Loum Tchaouna, mai tsaron rami Carl Rushworth, da dan kasa na Ghana Caleb Yirenkyi — mafi tsadar sayan ƙungiyar a £23.1 miliyan. Dukkan biyar sun fara a Emirates. Gustavo Hamer da dan buga gaba Taiwo Awoniyi sun shigo a matsayin maye gurbin.
Duk da ingancin da kwarewa da waɗannan ƴan wasan sabon kawo, banbancin tsakanin Coventry da Arsenal — tsare-tsaren Premier League wadanda suka kai wasan kusa na UEFA Champions League na kakar da ta gabata — ya bayyana fili a daren gasar.
Ra'ayin Lampard
Lampard, wanda ya karɓi ragamar ƙungiyar a watan Nuwamba 2024 bayan Mark Robins, ya yi magana a fili amma ya kasance cikin nutsuwa bayan ƙarshen wasa. Ya shaida wa Match of the Day: «Wannan karatu ne mai kyau don 'yan wasanmu. Ku zo nan kuna son yin wani abu amma yana da wuya sosai. Kwarewa ce mai kyau.» Ya kuma tuna cewa Leeds United sun sha kashi 5-0 daga Arsenal a farkon kakar da ta gabata kafin su tsira. Kyaftin Matt Grimes ya ƙara cewa: «Kakarmu ba za ta ƙayyade ta ba ta hanyar zuwa wurare kamar wannan a sha kashi.»
Wasan da ke zuwa zai yi ma'ana sosai. Coventry za su karɓi Hull City mako mai zuwa a Coventry Building Society Arena — ƙungiyar da ta hau ta hanyar wasan shiga — bayan da ƙungiyoyin biyu suka raba maki 0-0 a wasanni biyu a Championship na kakar da ta gabata. A cewar Opta, Sky Blues suna da mafi wahalar jadawalin farko kakar daga duk ƙungiyoyin, da tafiye-tafiye zuwa Manchester City da Nottingham Forest da ke jiran watan mai zuwa.
«Da farkon kamar wannan, dole mu kasance lafiyar hankali,» Lampard ya amince. «Muna son fara tafiya. Bana da ya wuce, nasarorin sun sauƙaƙa komai. Wannan shekara ba za ta zama mai sauƙi haka ba, amma muna so mu tara waɗannan maki ba shakka.»
