Coventry City handed huge player boost ahead of Norwich - Frank Lampard may need to tweak system | OneFootball

Josh Eccles soon to be returning from injury can hand Frank Lampard a huge midfield boost

Coventry City boss Frank Lampard has been handed a huge midfield boost as injury woes ease - a tweak to the system may be needed.

Coventry City, under the guidance of Frank Lampard, have been known for their attacking prowess, finding the back of the net at ease, having found the net 14 times in four games so far this season.

The attacking combination of Haji Wright playing in the number 9 role with Jack Rudoni, Ephron Mason-Clark, and Brandon Thomas-Asante in behind him, has certainly got the Sky Blues fans out of their seats in the early stages of the season.

Coventry are an exciting team to watch right now, and you can imagine the players are loving it. They play an aggressive, attacking style, they try to outscore the opposition, and there is a lot of talent in the ranks.

However, despite goals flying in, Coventry have also looked rather frail defensively — but the return of their deep-lying playmaker Josh Eccles could make all the difference in turning that around.

Josh Eccles has been a big miss for Coventry City

After working his way up through the youth teams at Coventry City, academy product Eccles has been a key performer for the Sky Blues over the past three seasons, where he's cemented his position in the heart of the midfield at the CBS Arena. The 25-year-old made 44 league appearances under former manager Mark Robins in the 2023/24 season prior to the appointment of Lampard back in November.

He continued his streak of being a constant in the Coventry side as Eccles made 40 Championship appearances last season, and formed a solid midfield trio with Victor Torp and Matt Grimes that Lampard has bitterly missed.

Eccles sustained a injury of a severe dead leg that has seen the reliable central midfielder sidelined for some time now. However, as reported by Coventry Live, Eccles' expected return date could be as soon as the Sky Blues' next Championship clash at home to Norwich City, where he could well be named among the list of names on the bench.

It is news that will warm the hearts of all Coventry fans who have missed his services due to his gritty performances and willingness to give his all for the badge, being a local lad.

Frank Lampard may have to tweak his system to accommodate the returning Josh Eccles

As previously mentioned, when Lampard first took on the role in the dugout at the CBS Arena, his common tactical system was a 4-3-3 formation which saw a rarely unchanged midfield three of Eccles, Torp, and Grimes.

The balance that the trio brought to Lampard's style of play was near enough perfect, as the more attacking-minded Torp, mixed with the tough-tackling, Grimes, and possession-based Eccles created an engine room that had everything.

However, due to the loss of Eccles to injury, Lampard has opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation to allow tricky wingers Thomas-Asante and Mason-Clark to be introduced into the starting XI. With the system seeming to be working as the Sky Blues currently sit in 5th place in the table, it will certainly be interesting to see whether the return of Eccles could mean a change in system for Lampard who has had success with both formations.

If Lampard were to revert to his preferred 4-3-3, the question then becomes, who gets dropped for Eccles?

With all four attackers firing on all cylinders, as well as Torp finding form in front of goal from midfield, it's difficult to see who would drop to the bench in replace of the 25-year-old. With Eccles soon to be back in action, we'll sure keep an eye on whether Lampard opts for a 'If it's not broken, don't fix it' way of thinking or if he fancies getting his reliable midfield three back together.