City interim boss speaks about the club's aspirations and what to expect from Crewe
Coventry City interim boss Lee Carsley says Wednesday night's away 2-0 win over Crewe Alexandra has given him valuable insight as to what to expect when the Sky Blues host the Railwaymen at the Ricoh Arena in the league on Saturday.
City missed out on a Wembley final in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy in midweek when their two-goal win over Crewe was not enough to overturn the three-goal deficit suffered at the Ricoh earlier this month.
Carsley said though that Wednesday night's win will give the Sky Blues confidence going into Saturday's game which will be the fourth time City have faced Crewe this season, and the second game between the two sides in just four days.
"We go into this game on Saturday confident and knowing what to expect," Carsley said.
"Our quality on the ball has to improve because Crewe are a passing side but they surprised me a bit on Wednesday with their approach to be fair because the moved the ball from back to front quite quickly but when you've got a pitch that isn't great you are going to get that.
"There will be more games like that this season where pitches will not necessarily be good enough for passing football. It's just on those occasions we have to play effective football rather than try to play the beautiful game."
Carsley also said he wants to build a culture where players are encouraged to shoot even if there's a chance they might miss.
"No-one will get any criticism from me for having a shot, regardless of whether they miss or not. I'll only start to get worried when we are not creating chances but we are creating chances at the moment and it takes alot of confidence to miss a chance and keep getting back in there so I want to encourage the lads."
He also added that promotion is very much still the target for the club and if it is achieved it will not have been down to just one individual.
"We're still looking for promotion. Nothing on that front has changed and it's important we have the fans behind us.
"But there is not one person in this team who is more important than any other, whether that be a player or member of staff.
"On the pitch, the boys win and lose as a team. When we defend it starts with Leon Clarke trying to win possession back and it's the same for the defenders when we start up our attacks."