“I would like to think there is a higher ceiling,” says Frank Lampard.
After four opening defeats without scoring, a run which had Coventry written off, the Sky Blues are finding their feet.
They could move up to 11th in the Premier League with victory at Everton on Friday as Lampard returns to the Toffees, who he managed for a year from January 2022.
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A win would leave them on 12 points, level with eighth-placed Bournemouth, a quarter of the way through their first season back in the Premier League in 25 years.
Just Middlesbrough (1996-97), Burnley (2009-10) and Cardiff (2013-14) have been relegated from the Premier League after taking 12 points from 10 games.
History is on Coventry’s side as last season’s Championship winners look to prove the doubters wrong.
Despite Coventry’s start to the season – after defeats by Arsenal, Hull, Manchester City and Brighton – the optimism at the training ground did not waver.
The positive mood at the club’s Ryton base remains, following Saturday’s victory over Sunderland, as it did after the 5-0 home thumping by Brighton.
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It was accepted the game, where Coventry played almost 45 minutes with 10 men following Taiwo Awoniyi’s dismissal, can happen in the Premier League – and there was no hangover.
There was a belief there was enough evidence in performances against Hull, Manchester City and Arsenal the Sky Blues could compete in the top flight.
Then, after a 3-1 Carabao Cup defeat by Aston Villa, Lampard tweaked the system to match Nottingham Forest’s back three to earn a 1-0 win at the City Ground.
“The result sometimes you can’t quite control, but you can control your idea going into a game, that maximises our strengths and looks at the opposition’s,” said Lampard, who is in before 7.30am every morning, using the gym before training.
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“There can be various reasons why we do it. We went to Nottingham Forest and we matched up their formation because I wasn’t keen to go there in the moment we were in with a back four and the problems they can give you with wing-backs and 10s.
“It’s not just my, or our, choice on formation which is going to win or lose games. We know we have a big fight so every small percentage in our set-up if we feel that way we will do it – but we must feel it’s going to be the right one.”
Lampard has always been tactically flexible and three wins in five games has allowed Coventry to climb out of the relegation zone.
The stats provide interesting reading too, especially when compared with the 1-0 defeat by Hull which could have been so damaging in the first home game of the season.
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Then, Coventry had 68.5% possession but that dropped to 42.6% in the 3-1 win over Sunderland. The Sky Blues also made more than 200 fewer passes and more than 50 fewer forward passes against the Black Cats.
Their passes in the final third more than halved from 128 to just 60, as the patience – and even pragmatism – paid off as the Sky Blues begin to understand the demands of the division.
The benching of skipper Matt Grimes, key in last season’s promotion, was also a big call from Lampard but one which has been met with understanding from within.
Coventry still have the lowest xG (expected goals) in the Premier League of 8.34 but lessons have been learned from the frustration of the opening weeks, even if those at the club recognise the difficult start given three of their opening four away games were at Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham.
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After Everton, Coventry host Crystal Palace and Ipswich either side of a trip to Leeds to complete a run sources felt would be crucial to their survival hopes.
“When you’re in the zone, enjoyment of the win is pretty short-lived – you switch your attention to the next game. Relaxation and complacency is the biggest danger in this game,” said Lampard.
“If we can keep the strength of feeling, even when difficult results come, we will give ourselves a chance.”
One Premier League manager has privately said if he were to take any players from Coventry, one of them would be Jack Rudoni.
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The former Huddersfield midfielder – playing in League One four years ago – has been one of the quickest players to adapt for Coventry, with four goals in 10 appearances in all competitions, in a group short of top-flight experience.
Awoniyi (90 games) and Ethan Pinnock (117) have played the most with just Loum Tchaouna, Ellis Simms, Matt Grimes, Kaine Kesler-Hayden, Dan Bentley and Gus Hamer having featured in the Premier League.
Even then, Simms only made 12 appearances for Everton, Grimes just four for Swansea, Bentley 10 for Wolves and Kesler-Hayden had only played five minutes.
Tchaouna’s and Hamer’s experiences were relegation with Burnley and Sheffield United.
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Lampard knew they would need time to find the grit to stay in the top flight but the Sky Blues have given themselves the chance.
“Sometimes you go through hundreds of games to find that resilience and a lot of our players haven’t had that,” added Lampard.
“There have been some complications. The squad and ourselves have managed pretty well when you see what we’re trying to do.”
