Frank Lampard has signed a new deal at Coventry until 2029. How has he revolutionised a club that not so long ago would never have dreamed of being in the top flight.

What were Coventry like before Lampard?

   Prior to November 2024, Mark Robins was at the helm of the Sky Blues. He had taken them from League 2 to an FA Cup semi-final and a penalty shootout away from the Premier League. However, Coventry were not doing so well at the beginning of the 24/25 season and following a 2-1 home defeat to Derby, where they failed to have a shot until the hour mark, chairman Doug King pulled the plug on Robins and it was hit with lots of backlash. It appeared that Coventry had gone stale under Mark Robins and had taken them as far as he could. Then Frank Lampard was appointed as new head coach and Coventry were hit with heavy criticism for not only firing Robins but hiring Lampard as his managerial record wasn't to the standards the fans wanted.

What has Lampard done in his time at Coventry.

    In his first season at Coventry, Lampard took them to 5th in the league and had late heartbreak in the Playoffs against Sunderland. He took away the fear of failure in the team and got the best out of players like Ephron Mason-Clark and Jack Rudoni. He has a 55% win rate and achieved 95 points in the season they were the Champions. In his maiden season, he went on a run where his team won 10 in 11 matches and brought such belief in the fan base and made, and still has a strong bond with the Coventry City faithful. The season following was nothing short of spectacular, they walked the Championship and won it all. They won 28 games and only lost 7. They scored a whopping 97 goals and letin only 45 thanks to their super defensive and Golden Glove winning goalkeeper Carl Rushworth. They sealed a historic, emotional promotion after a 1-1 draw with Blackburn where Bobby Thomas headed in from a free kick. He has also proved his squad can deal with adversity as they got through a difficult period where they let a 10 point lead at the top and only picked up 8 points from a possible 24. He also went on a 12 game unbeaten streak from August to October. 

How does Lampard play?

    At Coventry, he plays an attacking 4-2-3-1 formation and his main form of attacking is by far crosses into the box. He uses, skilled, quick wingers out wide to best their defender and cross or cut it back for a forward like Haji Wright or Brandon Thomas-Asante to get on the end of. He likes his defenders to be strong, aggressive and strong in the tackle. He doesn't make his defensive go all out to get the ball, instead, he allows the opponent to come at them and then go in to either jockey or tackle. His teams are lethal from set pieces and scored 29 for the season, which continues to about a third of their total tally. He plays a double pivot in defence to protect the back line but also to allow passing routes to anywhere on the pitch. He also has a top, top goalkeeper in Carl Rushworth who saved 75% of shots that came his way, which is top 3 in the division.

How will Coventry do in the Premier League?

   Surviving in the Premier League is no easy task with there being so many clubs with big fan bases, budgets and players. Despite this, it is not impossible as we have seen last season with Leeds but especially Sunderland who got Europa League and defeated some big teams and played well all season under Régil Le Bris. To cope with more talented teams, Lampard will have to change how he plays and play a bit more defensively, maybe a 4-5-1 or 5-4-1 to make them hard to break down. Investment in the transfer window will also be crucial in their survival hopes as they can and need to bring in better players to strengthen their squad and enable them to compete in England's top flight. One player who has nearly signed is Eintract Frankfurt defender Aurèle Amenda. He will be signing for a club record fee of about £17.2 million. The addition in defence means he will most likely play alongside star boy Bobby Thomas and will use his experience and elite defensive skills to keep opponents out. If they can do this, they will stand a good chance in playing in the 27/28 Premier League and can do well in the division in the upcoming season where they face Arsenal on August 21st at 8pm in the opening game. Despite a tough opening few games, they have easier games after Arsenal(A), Hull(H) and Man City(A). Still, you play every team twice and you will finish where you deserve in the table come the end of Game Week 38.

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