Does Frank Lampard Have What it Takes to Transform Coventry City?

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DATE_FORMAT_LC5 1009

On Thursday, Championship club Coventry City announced Chelsea and England legend Frank Lampard as their new manager.

The 46-year-old has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the Sky Blues, who find themselves two points outside the relegation zone in the second tier.

Lampard replaces Mark Robins, who was appointed in 2017 before taking the club from League Two to the Championship.

Robins also guided Coventry to the 2022-23 Championship play-off final before reaching the FA Cup semi-finals last season, but it was time for him to move on.

So, has Lampard got what it takes to lead Coventry forward? Or will the new boss struggle to build on Robins’ work?

There is no hiding the fact that Lampard is one of the Premier League’s greatest-ever players, as the midfielder won 11 major trophies with Chelsea.

However, the ex- West Ham United and Manchester City man has yet to prove himself as a manager, following several stints in the dugout.

Lampard started his managerial career at Derby County in 2018, leading the Rams to the Championship play-off final before losing against Aston Villa.

Between May 2018 and July 2019, Lampard posted a 42.11% win ratio at Derby, claiming 24 victories in 57 matches.

After that, he was appointed manager of Chelsea, winning 44 of his 84 games to chalk up a win ratio of 52.38%, claiming an FA Cup runner-up medal in 2019-20.

Lampard was sacked by Chelsea in January 2021, with his next job coming one year later, as Everton came calling.

However, Lampard managed to claim just 12 victories in 44 matches as Everton boss, finishing with a 27.27% win ratio when he was fired in January 2023.

The Chelsea icon subsequently returned to the Blues on an interim basis between April and May, but he registered a solitary victory in 11 games before departing.

It would not be unfair to say that Lampard has experienced an inconsistent managerial career up to now, with many ups and downs.

Granted, he enjoyed a degree of success with Derby and Chelsea, but the jury is still out on whether Lampard can coach at the top level.

There is no denying it will be difficult to follow Robins, who spent seven years at Coventry while endearing himself to the fans.

Lampard’s initial aim will be to steer Coventry away from the relegation zone, but time will tell whether he can achieve any more than that.