Can anyone stop Coventry City?
Well, Wrexham was like that a few weeks ago. But since then, Frank Lampard’s side have bounced back and won their next three games.
We were behind against Sheffield United, but won 3-1. It then took a late stunner from Efron Mason-Clarke to put Stoke away 1-0.
And perhaps the most dramatic and memorable event. They were 2 points behind West Brom at home, but they fought hard and won 3-2. We were 2-1 down and Jason Molumby’s red card helped, but once we got a point back it felt inevitable. Every hurdle in their way has now been overcome.
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Frank Lampard celebrates his first anniversary in charge and reflects on his time as Coventry City manager
And now?
Coventry lead the table by seven points. No leader in championship history has had such a wide gap over second place after 16 games. There was a six-point difference between the two teams, but there may be a warning in that only one of them clinched promotion.
In the 2008/09 season, Wolves were racing towards the title. Last season Watford finished sixth and were eliminated in the play-offs. But Opta believes Coventry currently have a nearly 90 per cent chance of promotion.
More importantly, Coventry are now 10 points clear of third place. And they hope to extend that when they visit Middlesbrough on Tuesday night – which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports+ and the Sky Sports app.
Boro are their closest challengers. However, the departure of Rob Edwards has destabilized them. Waiting in the wings at Riverside Stadium is new manager Kim Helberg, who will officially take over after the game against Coventry.
The fact that Adi Viveash will be the last custodian adds further intrigue to the proceedings. Edwards’ former assistant was also at Coventry under Mark Robins, but left before the start of last season amid a cloud of bitterness.
Many feel that Viveash was the key to the Robins’ success, and if he had stayed, the two might still be there. He was also part of the team when Coventry defeated Middlesbrough in the play-off semi-final in 2023. Boro were favorites to win that year under manager Michael Carrick before the Sky Blues got in their way. Maybe they want to return the favor here.
This will undoubtedly be Coventry’s biggest test of the season. Middlesbrough are yet to lose at home, winning five of their seven games.
“Coventry are the best team in the Championship at the moment, that’s why they’re where they are,” Viveash said ahead of Tuesday night’s game.
“They’ve scored a lot of goals and won a lot of football matches. That’s the way it is. It’s first versus second at the moment, but when you play against the best teams in the Championship it’s always a salivating game.
“This is Riverside and it’s always a big thing for us to be undefeated. It’s a big challenge and certainly we’re going to need as good a performance as we’ve had in three of our home games against quality opposition this season. But it’s going to be a tough challenge for them as well.”
If not Boro… So could a lack of depth derail Coventry at a crucial time?
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Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship match between Coventry City and West Bromwich Albion
At the moment, it’s only potentially yourself. Even if they lose at Middlesbrough, they will remain in an incredibly healthy position.
However, one area of concern for Lampard is the lack of depth in the squad. It is perhaps no coincidence that Wrexham lost while three first-choice defenders were absent, with striker Wright ruled out for the next few games.
“We knew since the window closed in the summer that we were lacking back-up in some areas,” Lampard told Sky Sports. “We are not always in a position to make the changes that other teams can make.
“But that’s the reality. We always prepare and recover and manage our training to get the best performance from the group as a whole. If we need to rotate, we rotate.”
Coventry need to play 10 Championship games in just 40 days before they can realistically consider entering the market in January. It’s going to take a long time to deal with, and more injuries here and there could really derail things.
“So far we are doing well, but there will be difficult times ahead,” he added. “But we will do our best to cope and hope to maintain the level of performance until Christmas and beyond.”
Three parts of Coventry’s season so far
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Frank Lampard reflects on his pride as Coventry City begin Championship action a third of the way through the season
Sky Sports EFL Editor Simeon Gollum:
“We have only played 16 games but we can already define Coventry’s campaign into three clear parts.
“We had a draw in the first division. We won four of the first six games. Then we dominated everyone in the second division. We won six games on the bounce, scored 19 points, and conceded only two.
“And then part three. Since the defeat at Wrexham, there have been reckless wins, comebacks and breakthroughs. Coventry have done it all. Quality, goalscoring and determination are the reasons they have made it this far.”
“The win at West Brom was impressive because we did it completely without striker Haji Wright, who has scored eight goals this season, and almost without Brandon Thomas Asante, who is already the Championship’s top scorer with 10 goals. He didn’t enter the fight until his team were already leading 3-2.
“Even if we win on Tuesday and move 10 clear at the top of the table, Lampard won’t get carried away,” he told me in an interview last week. “My personality is never to get too high. I’m always looking to the next challenge and trying not to get complacent. I want to keep things stable and keep demanding.”
“Thanks to his calm personality, even if he had a setback on Tuesday night, his performance level will not drop.”
