The Sky Blues manager highlights City's Bulgarian midfielder as a star performer, while the young squad continue to gain in experience...
The City boss has been reflecting on the 3-0 loss against Norwich City at Carrow Road on Tuesday night, having identified Sky Blues midfielder Vladimir Gadzhev as one of the best players on the park.
City fielded a relatively young side, with 18-year old Darragh Leahy and 19-year old Cian Harries among Coventry’s defensive line. The Manager was pleased with his side’s application, having come up against experienced Norwich internationals in the likes of Wes Hoolahan, Kyle Lafferty and Graham Dorrans.
Mowbray said: “There was lots of good stuff, a lot of pleasing stuff. First-half I thought we more than matched them really. They struggled to get a real hold of the ball first-half and we obviously lacked a bit of penetration in the final third.
“We didn’t overly threaten their goal and yet we dominated the ball. It’s no surprise really, we are a long way away from our starting line-up.
“The young boys are making their way in the game, but I thought they did themselves proud and put a great performance in for the club. We lost our shape a bit when we made changes, but generally pleased.
“Ultimately it was a lack of end product that cost us. We kept the ball well, Gadzhev shone like a beacon on the pitch, never mind in our team but across all 22 players.
The City Manager also gave an update on the fitness of his squad ahead of the final scheduled preseason friendly tomorrow evening (opponents TBC).
He added: “We’re waiting on Chris Stokes, he’s had an injection in his knee so we’ll wait and see the outcome.
“We won’t be taking a chance with Jodi Jones or Sam Ricketts if they are delicate, we’ve got another week after Friday to get them back on the grass before the league starts.”