Georginio Rutter insists he found meetings with Coventry City ‘the most difficult’ of all Championship games this season.
Coventry are one of only two teams Leeds United have failed to beat this season – Sunderland the other – with the 2-1 defeat at the CBS Arena earlier this month ending a 15-game league unbeaten run and seriously denting the Whites’ automatic promotion hopes. Mark Robins’ side are also one of few to come away from Elland Road with a point after drawing 2-2 in December, a clash in which they were worthy of sharing the spoils.
Rutter has been creator-in-chief at Leeds this season and found joy against almost every team at one point. But despite grabbing an assist for Crysencio Summerville in the home clash, the 22-year-old has struggled to work his magic against a resolute Coventry side.
“The worst team was Coventry,” Rutter told the Official Leeds United podcast. “It was the most difficult game I played against because it is a team who are tight in the middle.
“You receive the ball and you have one guy behind you, on the right. It was hard. I am also going to say Southampton, but we didn’t do a good game so it was a bit difficult. They were tough as well.”
Leeds could feasibly end up facing Coventry in the play-offs, should they fail to achieve automatic promotion, with the potential for two more fixtures against Robins’ men. The Sky Blues sit eight points behind Norwich City in sixth but have a game in hand and remain very much in the race.
Daniel Farke’s side will hope to have no involvement in the drama of play-off football but currently sit outside the top-two. There are just three games remaining to gain ground on at least one of Leicester City or Ipswich Town, with Southampton also hot on their heels after capitalising on dropped points elsewhere.
Leeds go to Middlesbrough on Monday evening before a trip to QPR the following Friday. The Whites host Southampton at Elland Road on the final day.