The Lampard Revolution: Coventry City On The Brink Of Promotion

Coventry have knocked on the door of promotion in the last few seasons. Back in the 2022/23 campaign, they were the runners up in the play-offs, losing to Luton Town. Last season they finished just outside the top six and missed out on the chance to earn promotion again. When this season started off poorly then, it was a bit of a surprise to Championship fans, as many thought that they would continue in the same vein. It took a managerial change to push them back up the table, and now they look as if they can get back into the play-offs.

A Poor Start

Mark Robins’ ninth season in charge of Coventry did not start particularly well. Just one win in seven matches saw his side begin October marginally outside the relegation zone in 21st. While their opening matches weren’t the easiest, as they faced Norwich, Watford and Leeds, they would have hoped for some points against the likes of Stoke and Swansea. After a few mixed performances, Coventry managed to earn two wins over Luton and Middlesbrough, which saw them shoot away from the relegation places at the end of October, however that appeared to be just a false dawn, as they were beaten by fellow strugglers Derby County in their next match and Robins was sacked.

Frank Lampard was selected to be their new manager, after struggling at Chelsea and Everton. When he came in, Coventry were in 17th, however according to Opta’s expected points model, they deserved to be sixth. At that time they were underperforming by 10 points and were the biggest underperformers in the league, ahead of the likes of Hull and Middlesbrough.

(Stats by Opta)

Tactical Changes

Lampard appeared to be experimenting with his squad when he came in, starting with a four at the back formation and aiming to primarily sort out the defensive numbers. Before he arrived, the side had conceded an average of nearly 1.5 goals a game, more than their 1.28 the previous season, and significantly more than the flat 1.0 average from the campaign where they finished fifth. The clean sheets started to come, with three in his first seven games in charge, however they started to struggle at the top end of the pitch.

🚨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 FT: Coventry 4-0 Plymouth ✅

Frank Lampard beats Wayne Rooney. pic.twitter.com/okx8bmp4IS

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) December 26, 2024

Lampard only won three of his first nine matches and other than a 4-0 win over struggling Plymouth, Coventry were dry and boring to watch, rather like another former Premier League midfielder turned coach who happens to also be managing in the Championship at the moment. Coventry were now midtable at the turn of the year, however that wasn’t enough for their fans, who had been getting used to battling for the play-offs, so something needed to change.

A Back Three

It appeared to be another random roll of the dice from Lampard, but it turned into a remarkable masterstroke. After drawing against Cardiff on New Year’s Day, Lampard turned to a back three for the next match against Norwich, and it would have had an immediate pay off had it not been for two injury time goals from the Canaries who walked away with a 2-1 win. Following that heartbreak, something must have clicked in training, as Coventry followed up with four straight wins, a loss against Leeds United, and then another five wins in a row.

FOUR HOME WINS ON THE BOUNCE.

This place is a fortress. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/5QFjhSUzT4

— Coventry City (@Coventry_City) March 15, 2025

Other than the Leeds game, Coventry have looked transformed in these fixtures, creating chances with ease while rarely being threatened at the back. Since he made these changes, Lampard’s side have conceded an average of 1.06 goals a game, which includes the recent dip in form against Sheffield United and Burnley, both of whom are fighting for automatic promotion. Interestingly, during his tenure, Lampard’s side have had fewer shots on average than before, but have a higher xG per game with 1.7 compared to their previous 1.4.

Key Players

Haji Wright has certainly been an important player for Coventry this season. Despite missing a lot of games through injury, he is still by far the club’s top scorer in the league with 11 goals. Since his return back in March he has scored a hattrick against play-off hopefuls Sunderland however it will still likely take him some time to return to full fitness. In his absence, Ellis Simms has been performing well up top, however he hasn’t quite been able to replicate Wright’s incredible goal scoring form.

Jack Rudoni is just special isn’t he…. He is one of those game changing players, he is only going to get better as well. #pusb https://t.co/5Y2MH5fK8D

— Waddo #PUSB 🐘 (@BWaddington) April 13, 2025

The player for me that has stood out the most this season has been Jack Rudoni. The central midfielder has been the creative spark for the side registering 11 assists in the league. That puts him just two behind the league’s best assister, Tom Fellows. On top of that, he has managed to score six goals as well. He joined from Huddersfield in the summer and has been well worth the £5.1m they spent on him.

The Run In: What Are Coventry’s Chances?

Of all the teams battling for the play-offs, Coventry have one of the easiest run ins. They face Hull City tonight, followed by games against West Brom, Plymouth, Luton and Middlesbrough. The matches against West Brom and Middlesbrough will be tough but they have certainly shown that they are capable of beating other play-off chasing teams. If they don’t slip up against the perceived ‘easier’ teams, then they have a real chance of finishing inside the top six. Whether or not they’ll win the playoffs is a whole other question.