Dawowar Coventry da aka jira tsawon lokaci zuwa Premier League ta rikide zuwa gwagwarmaya mai muni a farkon kakar wasa, inda ƙungiyar Frank Lampard ke zaune ba tare da wata ƙwallon da ta shiga ba ko maki bayan shan asara a jere hudu.
Matsalar ta ƙarshe ta zo a gida ranar Lahadi, inda aka doke su 5-0 ta Brighton, wanda ya bar kulob din da mafi munin farkon kakar a cikin manyan gasar tarihin su tun daga 1919-20, lokacin da suka yi asara a wasanninsu tara na farko a farkon kakar gasar su ta ƙwallon ƙafa.
Tarihe masu banƙyama na ɓullowa
Coventry su ne kawai ƙungiyar biyar a tarihin babbar gasar Ingila da ta sha asara a wasanni huɗu na farko ba tare da ci kambun ƙwallo ɗaya ba. Kulob ɗin huɗu da suka sha wannan ƙaddara kafin su su ne Derby County (1899-1900), Stoke City (1906-07), Preston North End (1924-25), da Crystal Palace (2017-18).
Lambobi na ƙara yin muni idan ka koma baya ƙarin. Coventry yanzu sun sha asara sau 46 a jere a Premier League lokacin da abokan hamayya suka ci gaba — jerin da ya faro tun Maris 1999.
Tun da Premier League ta fara a 1992, kulob ɗaya ne kawai — Southampton a 2012-13 — ya tsira daga faduwa bayan ya sha asara a wasanni huɗu na farko. A tarihin babbar gasar Ingila gaba ɗaya, 10 daga cikin ƙungiyoyi 18 da suka sha asara a wasanninsu huɗu na farko daga ƙarshe an saukar da su, wato kashi 56 cikin 100.
Alamun fata na ɓacewa cikin sauri
Asarar da Brighton ta ba su ta yi zafi musamman ganin abin da ya gabata. Wasan Coventry a kan Manchester City mako da ya wuce ya ba da gagarumin ƙarfafawa — harbe-harbe 12, xG na 1.37, da ɗan wasan ƙwallo na ƙofar Gianluigi Donnarumma yana ƙarƙashin matsin lamba cikin gaba.
Wannan kuzari ya cigaba a rabin farko na wasa da Brighton, inda Sky Blues suka harba harbe-harbe 10 kuma suka ƙirƙiri damammakin ci ta Frank Onyeka da Jack Rudoni yayin da suke baya da ƙwallo ɗaya kawai lokacin hutu.
Rabin na biyu ya faɗi labari daban. Laifukan tsaro sun ba Brighton damar ninka rinjayensu, kuma an kori Taiwo Awoniyi — an fitar da shi da jajayen kati saboda buga da gwiwar hannu — wanda ya kashe duk wata ƙanƙanar fata ta dawo.
Roy Keane, tsohon kyaftin na Manchester United, yana magana a Sky Sports, ya kasance sarari a cikin kimantawarsa. «An samu tsaro mara kyau sosai daga Coventry yau,» ya ce. «Da zaton a 3-0 za su karɓi asarar su ci gaba, amma da wasu yanke shawara yau... suna fara kama da ƙungiyar Championship. Frank dole ne ya yi hankali sosai domin wannan ƙungiya ba ta rasa bangaskiyarta ba.»
Lampard ya ƙi ba da wuya
Ba wannan ba ce karon farko da Lampard aka ɗora masa aiki na gyara lamarin Coventry. Lokacin da aka naɗa shi a Nuwamba 2024 a matsayin magajin Mark Robins, ya gaji kulob ɗin da yake matsayi na 17 a Championship, sama da maki biyu kawai daga yankin faduwa.
Ƙasa da watanni 18 bayan haka, wannan manaja mai shekaru 48 ana kiransa mai aikin mu'ujiza bayan da ya jagoranci kamfen ɗin Coventry mai cin nasara a Championship, wanda ya ƙare da haɓaka ƙungiyar zuwa Premier League a karon farko tun daga 2001.
Amma rikodinsa a babbar gasar yayin lokacin da ya yi da Chelsea da Everton bai yi fice ba, inda ya samu nasara huɗu kawai a cikin wasanninsa 34 na ƙarshe a wannan matakin.
«Ƴan wasa sun ba da komai har zuwa ƙarshe amma ba ya ji daɗi. Dole ne mu ɗauki nauyi mu fahimci matakunan da muke buƙatar haɓaka su,» Lampard ya shaida wa Sky Sports. «Muna cigaba da aiki. Muna cikin wasanni huɗu na kakar wasa da muka buga mafi wahalar wasanni biyu. Ba mu jin tausayin kanmu ba. Na kasance a wannan halin sau da yawa, sau da yawa.»
