Frank Lampard reveals big change he’s made at Coventry City after private chats with Premier League managers

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Coventry City and Frank Lampard have won nine of the last ten Championship fixtures ahead of their trip to Derby County this evening.

Lampard piled praise on Mark Robins prior to the match against Stoke City on Saturday lunchtime, after Robins made an emotional return to Coventry in matchday 36 in the Championship.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LeedsLeeds	36	22	10	4	72	23	49	76
2	Sheff UtdSheffield Utd	36	24	6	6	51	27	24	76
3	BurnleyBurnley	36	20	14	2	49	10	39	74
4	SunderlandSunderland	36	19	11	6	54	33	21	68
5	CoventryCoventry	36	16	8	12	52	46	6	56
6	West BromWest Brom	36	13	16	7	46	32	14	55
7	Bristol CityBristol City	36	13	14	9	46	39	7	53
8	BlackburnBlackburn	36	15	7	14	41	37	4	52
9	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	36	14	8	14	55	47	8	50

Victor Torp shone for Coventry as he replaced Jack Rudoni in the line-up, following a dislocated shoulder against Oxford United where the Sky Blues broke a 55-year record. However, it wasn’t all plain sailing against Robins.

Being 2-0 up at half-time thanks to Torp, in spite of a stonewall penalty being turned down after a clear foul on Ephron Mason-Clark, Coventry City appeared to have another win in the bag before a dramatic second half and needed a Bobby Thomas winner to seal the points in a 3-2 win.

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Frank Lampard reveals how he overhauled Coventry City in major way since replacing Mark Robins

It was a big weekend for Coventry, having seen multiple sides around the play-offs drop points. They now face a resurgent Derby County side following John Eustace’s first win in charge, and the Rams won the reverse fixture 2-1 back in November in Robins’ final game in charge.

Frank Lampard will be hoping to continue their incredible run, and he has been speaking to ex-Coventry City striker Dion Dublin about his journey so far and why fortunes have changed for the Sky Blues.

Speaking on the BBC’s Football Daily podcast, Dublin asked: “Have you changed as a manager? Not so much your philosophy, just as a man. Have you changed?”

Lampard responded: “Yeah, I think so. One of my biggest learnings of being in the game, and I say it every time. Christine [Lampard] always laughs at me because I say next time I’m going to be more relaxed and she’s like ‘yeah, just wait’ because it’s not going to happen until you’re back in.

“And then I’m back in and it’s like, oh, I’m home and I’m right. I’m doing training and I’m explaining to them my challenges and what’s happening tomorrow so I’m better at the balance.

“I think, as a young manager, every win and every defeat is there or there (at extremes) and you’re pushing. You want to show everyone you’re a good coach; I’m a good manager and my team gets results.

“The more you’re in it, you always understand results. I think you become a little more level-headed and I feel that.”

“I’ve spoken to those managers who have great longevity, Hodge [Roy Hodgson] and Harry Redknapp and you feel a different perspective from managers that have been through 700 games doing this job.

“If you go up and down all of the time, [and] if you put so much pressure on yourself, then I think your own energies can be compromised.

“So I try and be more level-headed and go ‘ok just keep working.’ Things will come right if you keep doing the right thing.”

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How Mark Robins and Frank Lampard compare statistically in 2024/25 for Coventry

The Coventry penalty incident caused outrage and threatened to overshadow things, but the belief and confidence in the side is evident among the Sky Blues players, who fought for everything until the last whistle.

There is a new energy and clarity around Coventry, which is reflected in Lampard’s comments about what he has learned as a manager in the early seasons of his career in coaching. Robins did a magnificent job over nearly eight years, but Lampard has breathed new life into this side.

Burnley, Sheffield United, and Sunderland fixtures have the potential to be season-defining games for Coventry City now in the coming run, but they have given themselves a cushion and are averaging over two points-per-game (PPG) under Lampard.

With that momentum behind the Sky Blues, you’d be foolish to bet against them heading into the final run-in and in those games as well. Meanwhile, they could have a huge say in dictating who wins the financial prize of automatic promotion and the Lampard train doesn’t look like it is stopping any time soon.