English, 30-year-old striker. Godden started 18 Championship games and appeared in 5 more from the bench. 1,454 minutes played. 6 goals - 2nd to Tyler Walker on 7. 2 assists.
Whoscored.com gives Godden a season rating of 6.53. 14th best in the squad. Absence.
In the 19-20 League 1 season, Godden scored 14 in 26 appearances (22 starts and 4 appearances from the bench), with an xG of 11, Godden outscored his expectations.
Of course, there are more reasons that Godden just scored more. Coventry had an average pass completion rate of 79%, and 154 passes forward per 90 minutes. Receiving the ball and creating chances is a strength for Godden, and with Coventry's struggles for control of games in the Championship, it is clear that the opponents Coventry faced stifled the previous successes.
Difficulty.
In League 1, Coventry enjoyed an xG of 1.43 from an average of 11.6 shots per game. In the Championship that dropped to 1.1 xG from 11 shots per game. Whilst not vastly different season over season, Godden's xG dropped from 0.65 in League 1 to just 0.3 in the Championship. Gustavo Hamer lead the way in shots per game at an average of 1.8, and Godden in second at 1.7. Coventry's top goalscorer, Walker, took an average of 1.3 per game.
Demands.
Godden was isolated, even in the 3-2 win over QPR, Coventry only had 36% possession, though he was able to score one from two shots, but the formation relied on one single striker to hold the ball - a Godden strength. However, a difficult task given the improved quality of opponents and less possession.
The prime example was the flat showing against Preston in December. With Godden isolated and Coventry conceding early, there needed to be a concerted effort to get beyond the deep organized lines of Preston. Here you see the breakdown with Godden trying to get onto the ball and Allen trying to thread a needle pass.
An adjustment came as Coventry played against Forest. Biamou was introduced alongside Godden and the improved shape pinned Forest back in attack, giving Coventry an even share of the possession in a strong performance, minus the backpass that lead to the penalty! Two strikers had been demanded by many fans as Coventry failed to go forward, or get the ball in key areas - something that hurt the stats for Godden.
Here you can see Biamou combining with Godden as the team pushes forward. No isolation for Godden.
However, and of course, this is the game where Godden left injured.
Godden still finished the season with the highest xG in the team and a summer off should give Godden a fighting chance to continue his upward trend from League 2 to League 1 and into the Championship at the second time of asking.
Walker seems to be the favorite, but a Walker and Godden partnership has shown promise, as in the 3-1 win over Bristol City. Here you see that Coventry could play a long ball to Walker, and allow Godden the freedom to play in behind on the second ball.
Then you see movement ahead of the ball and pinning defenders deeper, as in the Forest game too (second image). Getting O'Hare on the ball in behind the midfielders is exactly what Coventry need for the coming season. This lead to the penalty and 2-0.
Adding the experience of Waghorn to the mix can only provide Coventry a confident platform to build from into the new season. Pre-season... is pre-season, but with the season around the corner, Coventry fans should feel confident about the forward line of this team.
Stats from whoscored.com and @EFLStats @SBETactical
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@LeeDunneSoccer
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