Sky Sports pundit identifies clear Coventry City issue for Frank Lampard to fix | OneFootball

Coventry City are currently 16th in the Championship table

Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman believes that Coventry City will not make the play-offs this season under Frank Lampard.

The Sky Blues were aiming to earn a top six finish when the campaign got underway back in August, but underwhelming form and issues behind the scenes led to the dismissal of Mark Robins.

Lampard has since come in as his replacement, with the team now sitting 16th in the table, 11 points behind sixth place West Brom.

The 46-year-old has previously overseen a top six finish at this level during his stint at Derby County, where the Rams went on to lose the play-off final in 2019.

Coventry City play-off verdict

Goodman has predicted that Coventry will miss out this year in the race for a play-off berth.

He has questioned the mentality of the time, pinpointing the 4-1 loss to Portsmouth as a sign that they can’t compete with the top sides due to their inconsistency.

"I was of the mindset that if Coventry City could put some form together under Frank Lampard, they would have an outside chance of making the top six,” said Goodman, via Plejmo.com.

"But, for me, the play-off ship has now sailed.

“There's an 11-point gap between them and West Brom and there's too much traffic between City and the top six.

“They're too inconsistent, and I don't think they're resilient enough, either, which I saw at Fratton Park against Portsmouth where they should have been out of sight in the first 25 minutes but eventually capitulated and lost 4-1.

“It was evident at the weekend when they turned a win into a loss against Norwich City in added time.”

Goodman highlights key Coventry City issue

Goodman has also highlighted their defensive issues as a major stumbling block to success this year, pinpointing the disparity between their goals against this year and their expected goals against.

"They have by far the most talented team in the bottom-half but under Lampard, they've won three, drawn three and lost three,” he added.

“That tells you everything you need to know about them.

“You can never be sure what you're going to get.

“Defensively, over the course of this season, only four teams can boast a lower xG against figure, the fact is they've conceded around 10 more goals than they probably should have.

“I've seen the costly mistakes myself, there have been lots of defensive and goalkeeping errors that have proved vital in games.

"Frank will have a good idea of what he needs now.

“It's the other end of the pitch which needs sorting out in my opinion."

Disappointing season for Coventry

Coventry reached the play-off final under Robins in 2023, losing a penalty shootout to Luton Town, and have been unable to reach those heights since.

Last season they came close to the top six, but a poor start to the campaign ultimately cost them.

This year also saw the team make a poor start and they have been unable to recover from it despite the talent at their disposal.

Their form has not turned around under Lampard either, which should be quite concerning for the owners and their Premier League ambitions.