Matt Grimes yana shiga sabon kakar wasa yana ɗauke da hannun jagoranci tare da irin iko daban-daban — wanda aka gina a kan kwarewa maimakon amo. Ɗan wasan tsakiya mai shekaru 30 ya shiga Coventry City a watan Janairu 2025 bayan ya shafe shekaru goma a Swansea City, kuma kasancewarsa ya taka muhimmiyar rawa wajen hawan Sky Blues zuwa Premier League a karon farko tun shekarar 2001.

Yayin da Coventry ke shirya fuskantar daya daga cikin muhallolin da suka fi wahala a duniyar ƙwallon ƙafa, Grimes ya yi tunani a kan yadda hanyarsa ta jagoranci ta canza tsawon shekaru.

Jagoranci ta misali, ba ta amo ba

Sun wuce kwanakin da Grimes yake jin tilas ya ɗaga muryarsa don isar da saƙo. Da fiye da karo 500 na aiki a bayansa, ya gano cewa gaskiya tana ɗauke da nauyi fiye da wasan kwaikwayo.

"Idan muna wasan da bai yi kyau ba kuma na shigo na yi ihu a lokin hutu, yaran ba za su ɗauke ni da muhimmanci ba, domin sun san wannan ba irin mutum nake ba," ya shaida wa FourFourTwo.

Wannan falsafa ce da ta samo asali daga sanin kansa. Grimes baya yin imani da cewa mafi ƙarfin muryar a ɗakin sutura shine mafi daraja — yana ganin daidaito da yin komai da kansa a matsayin kayan aiki mafi tasiri da kyaftin zai iya amfani da su.

"Ina tsammanin sun wuce kwanakin da kake bukata ka zama mafi amo, ka yi ihu da tsawa," ya ƙara da cewa.

Kamfen ɗin hawan da ba za a manta ba

Kakar da ta gabata a ƙarƙashin manaja Frank Lampard, Coventry ba su sami sauƙi ba. Sky Blues sun mamaye a farko, suka sami girgiza a tsakiyar kakar wasa, sannan suka dawo da daidaiton su da ƙarfi — suna cin nasara a takwas daga ƙarshen wasanni tara don kammala da maki 11 sama da masu bin su.

"Mun mamaye a farko, mun sami girgiza a tsakiya, amma mun farfado kuma mun ci nasara," Grimes ya tuna. "Mun yi nasara a takwas daga tara don tabbatar da wurinmu a saman. Kakarori irin haka ba su faru sau da yawa."

Har yanzu, ya yarda cewa girman abin da suka cimma bai shiga cikakkiyar fahimtarsa ba. "A ƙarshe zai shiga, amma har yanzu, ban yi tunanin ya shiga cikakke ba," ya ce.

Ƙalubalantar masu shakka a babbar gasar

Coventry suna shiga Premier League a matsayin daya daga cikin abubuwan da masu sa caca suka fi so su sauko nan take. Wannan sunan da aka saba ji game da ƙungiyoyin da suka haura, amma Grimes da abokan wasansu suna jan darasi daga kamfen da cike da juriya don ƙarfafa imani su cewa za su iya tsira.

Natsuwa da Grimes ya bunƙasa a cikin aikin da ya ƙunshi fiye da wasanni 500 — da amincin da ya gina a cikin ɗakin sutura — za su kasance daga cikin muhimman dukiyar Coventry yayin da suke neman tabbatar wa masu shakka ba daidai ba suke a babbar gasar.