Adi Viveash: 'Jay Dasilva could have played for Chelsea'

That’s the view of former Sky Blues assistant Adi Viveash. Viveash, who coached in Chelsea’s youth set-up for nine years before he joined Coventry in 2017, was well aware of Dasilva from his time at Stamford Bridge and he thinks that the full back could have made it with the perennial Premier League high flyers.

‘Jay had the potential to play for Chelsea,’ Viveash tells The Phoenix. ‘He could have played for Chelsea's first team, there's no doubt about that. He's a wonderfully gifted, talented footballer.’

Dasilva has made an excellent start to life in the top flight with Coventry, despite reservations from many over whether he had the stature to be a Premier League full back.

‘People always go on about his size, but he's got amazing ball skills, the way he can manipulate the ball, and he's brilliant in possession,’ Viveash counters. ‘It's great to see how Jay's playing.’

Dasilva arrived at Coventry in the summer of 2023, linking up with then-assistant boss Viveash. It didn’t click immediately for Dasilva. In his first season, he made 37 league appearances, but that fell to 31 the next year as he struggled to firmly establish himself as first-choice at left back.

‘In our team, he was very good going forward and very attack-minded, but he struggled at that time to see off Jake Bidwell,’ Viveash says. ‘Jake was still playing quite a lot of matches and it was probably split 50-50 between the two of them.’

Viveash believes that the best of Dasilva came after he and Mark Robins had left the Sky Blues, with Frank Lampard and Joe Edwards sparking fresh life into his career.

‘He obviously knew Joe Edwards as well from Chelsea, so he'd been coached by Joe in his youth days,’ Viveash says. ‘Maybe that familiarity helped him.

‘But I think it all clicked a bit more for him. Defensively, he became much sounder in the way Frank played the team. Then you get confidence, start getting results and it builds.’

For Viveash, there is immense pride at watching Dasilva’s progress for both club and country.

‘I watched him this week for Wales. He played really well in both games for Wales. It's superb to see how he's doing. Great goal against Forest.

‘But he always had the potential to play for Chelsea's first team. So is it a surprise to see him playing in the Premier League? No.

‘Long may it continue because he's doing fantastically well.’

Adi Viveash was speaking exclusively to The Phoenix as part of an extensive new interview looking back on his seven years with Coventry City.

From challenging Mark Robins over team selections and substitutions to the tactical switch that transformed the Sky Blues, Wembley heartache and building a succession of teams capable of climbing the divisions, Viveash provides a fascinating insight into his role in one of the most remarkable periods in the club's history.

The full interview will be available exclusively to Phoenix subscribers later this week. Not subscribed? Head here to sign up.