Championship: Frank Lampard lucid after Coventry City’s setback

A fragile leader of the Championship, Coventry City is going through a turbulent spell, as acknowledged by their manager Frank Lampard after the defeat conceded to Queens Park Rangers (2-1). Beaten in London, the Sky Blues nevertheless remain at the top of the table, on equal points with Middlesbrough, their nearest rivals. A scenario unthinkable just a few weeks ago, when Coventry had ten points clear after their win over Boro in November. Since then, the momentum has reversed: the club has not won a single away match in its last seven outings, seeing its comfortable cushion melt away.

« What we need to do now is stay positive and focus on the next match. We are going through a difficult period, and it is clear that things are tough at the moment, but we are at the top of the table », said Frank Lampard on BBC Radio. « We know that the gap is now closed, so it’s a sprint from now on, and we must regroup very quickly. »

On the Loftus Road pitch, Coventry had indeed started the match ideally, opening the scoring with a precise header from Josh Eccles, at the end of a good team move. But the home side overturned the situation in the second half, carried by the goals of Richard Koné and Nicolas Madsen, securing a notable victory after the heavy defeat suffered against Coventry earlier in the season.

The former Chelsea midfielder did not seek to mask the flaws of his team.
« We did not manage the difficult moments of the match well. We lost a few second balls, we got involved in duels and we ended up paying dearly for it », he acknowledged. Lampard nevertheless praised the move leading to the opening goal: « It’s a superb goal, a fantastic header from Josh and a nice pass from Rudy. We felt that on this pitch, against a tough opponent, the match would be difficult. Scoring that goal to take the lead, that’s really good. »

Before concluding, lucid about the current gaps in his squad: « When the game becomes chaotic, the second balls slip away from us, we fall behind and we are punished. » As the final sprint approaches, Coventry City remains at the top, but the margin for error has considerably narrowed.