Frank Lampard and Chelsea were once humbled by Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United, he vowed to never ‘forget’ that lesson

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The international break is almost over, and we’ve got our sights set on Sheffield United’s clash with Coventry City on Friday night, as Frank Lampard gets a chance for sweet revenge.

In all likelihood, both Frank Lampard and his opposite number, Chris Wilder, will have been wishing the international break didn’t come at all, with Coventry and Sheffield United in great form.

The two sides go head-to-head in a crucial game on Friday night at Bramall Lane, with the Championship title race and the fight for the play-offs set to be impacted one way or another by the match.

For Lampard, it’s not only a chance to prove his and his team’s credentials against one of the best in the league, it’s a chance to show how far he’s come in the last few years.

• READ MORE: ‘All will be forgiven’ – Coventry City urged to do Leeds United massive favour after Frank Lampard’s 2019 incident

Sheffield United taught Frank Lampard a valuable lesson

Lampard’s rollercoaster ride of a managerial career took him back to his beloved Chelsea in 2019. During his time in the dugout there, however, he suffered some bad results, as most managers do from time to time.

One, a 3-0 hammering against Sheffield United in 2020, clearly stung. Speaking to Sky Sports at the time, Lampard offered a damning verdict of his Blues team.

“They were better than us, they were stronger than us physically and with the ball, so you lose the game. You feel and hear every noise [on the touchline] and all I could hear was Sheffield United voices.

“They are a good team and if you come here and perform below par this is what will happen. We matched them shape-wise but were too slow and weren’t getting our wingers into the game. We tried to get control, which we did but weren’t threatening.”

Lampard was not happy with errors his team made on the day, and made a promise that he would remember this lesson moving forward.

“At 2-0 down you make it difficult for yourselves. Disappointing. Mistakes. You analyse all season and review and move forward. We need to put that to bed quickly and fight for the top four. I learned a lot and I won’t forget that.”

Of course, a lot has happened since then. Lampard explained how he has changed as a manager recently, to be more relaxed, but we’re sure defeats like that one against United are still niggling away in the back of his mind, especially heading into a game like the one on Friday night.

• READ MORE: Coventry City handed ‘fascinating’ warning over the future of Frank Lampard as ‘a number of clubs’ keep watch

Sheffield United vs Coventry City is a huge game for both sides

There is so much at stake with this weekend’s game. If Sheffield United win, they will put immense pressure on Leeds United, who face Swansea on Saturday.

The Blades will also have gotten one of their most challenging fixtures out of the way on Friday, and if they come out of it unscathed, they’ll be high on confidence.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LeedsLeeds	38	23	11	4	76	25	51	80
2	Sheff UtdSheffield Utd	38	25	7	6	53	28	25	80
3	BurnleyBurnley	38	21	15	2	52	11	41	78
4	SunderlandSunderland	38	19	12	7	55	37	18	69
5	CoventryCoventry	38	17	8	13	55	48	7	59
6	West BromWest Brom	38	13	18	7	48	34	14	57

Coventry will feel the same, of course. Their final-run in is tough, and they’ll be hoping the momentum they gained before the break can carry through to Friday’s game.

Either way, it’s hoped that neutrals will get a thoroughly entertaining game to watch and kick off the weekend in style. Given what’s at stake, and Lampard’s natural desire to right that wrong from the past meeting, we could be in for a fiery affair at Bramall Lane.