Frank Lampard facing new Jack Rudoni issue at Coventry City | OneFootball

Brandon Thomas-Asante's form will create a selection headache for Frank Lampard upon Jack Rudoni's return from injury

Coventry City have won six games on the bounce, launching them to the top of the Championship table after 12 games, remaining undefeated, and scoring goals for fun, all without their supposed star midfielder.

With none of the parachute payment teams seemingly up to scratch this season, a major opportunity has presented itself for clubs in the Championship to take full advantage of.

Last campaign, each of Burnley, Leeds United, and Sheffield United amassed over 90 points in the second tier, and although the latter would ultimately lose out in the play-off final to Sunderland, those three were by far and away the best teams in the division.

This season, however, Sheffield United are already on their second manager of the season and sit in the relegation zone, whilst neither of last season's relegated Premier League teams, Southampton, Ipswich Town or Leicester City have gotten up to speed.

Coventry have been the team to take the league by the scruff of the neck in the early stages, sitting pretty at the top of the table, five points ahead of third-place Millwall, and scoring goals for fun.

The Sky Blues went through something of a rough patch, by this season's standards, between late August and mid-September, drawing three games on the spin.

However, since then, they have won six on the bounce, and coincidentally have been without star midfielder Jack Rudoni due to injury since their last league draw away to Leicester.

In the former AFC Wimbledon and Huddersfield Town man's absence, Brandon Thomas-Asante has deputised in the role behind the striker, and is in the form of his life, creating a selection headache for manager Frank Lampard upon his return in November.

Nobody, not even Coventry's most optimistic of fans, nor probably Thomas-Asante himself, could have possibly predicted the rich vein of form that the Ghanaian is going through this season.

The MK Dons academy product joined the Sky Blues last summer for £2.25 million from division rivals West Brom, and on the face of it, it wasn't a deal which you'd expect to set the world alight.

In his first campaign at the CBS Arena, Thomas-Asante appeared off the bench more often than not, and would score just four times and assist a further three in 38 Championship appearances last season.

Now, 12 games into the 2025/26 season, the Ghanaian international has already hit nine goals and grabbed three assists, topping the Championship goalscoring charts and making everyone forget about Rudoni's absence in the process.

Mostly playing as the number ten behind either Haji Wright or Ellis Simms in Rudoni's absence, the 26-year-old has scored or assisted in each of the Sky Blues last six games, as they begin to create a gap between themselves and the rest of the league.

Whether this sort of form is sustainable is doubtful, yet as long as Coventry keep creating chances for fun, the likelihood that Thomas-Asante will have something to do with the goal remains high.

With Rudoni expected to be back before the next international break in November, Lampard must be cautious not to disrupt the form of Thomas-Asante to incorporate Rudoni straight back into the side.

The Ghanaian has covered for Rudoni since his injury, and upon his return, it is likely that he will slot straight back into the number ten role; however, Lampard must ensure that this doesn't negatively affect Thomas-Asante.

Rudoni was Coventry's star man last season as the Sky Blues would ultimately lose out in the play-off semi-final to Sunderland, scoring ten and assisting 12 in 45 Championship appearances, and when fit, he is one of the first names on the team sheet.

The Englishman is capable of playing as a ten or in a slightly deeper role, although he is at his most dangerous when playing as a number ten.

Thomas-Asante will likely be pushed back out wide, with either Tatsuhiro Sakamoto or Ephron Mason-Clark as a casualty as a result, but Lampard needs to ensure that this does not hinder his side's attacking output.