The key stats that suggest Frank Lampard could be onto a winner with Coventry City | OneFootball

Coventry City's underlying performance numbers suggest Frank Lampard will take over a talented squad.

Coventry City are expected to name Frank Lampard as Mark Robins’ successor, in a move that will be considered a risk by many.

The former England international has a mixed managerial record since retiring as a player, although his one job at this level, with Derby County, saw the Rams reach the play-off final.

So, owner Doug King will be hoping for more of the same, and Lampard will be tasked with building on the great work that Robins did over the past seven years, if he does land the job, as has been reported.

Coventry City’s performances this season

Normally, when a manager is appointed mid-season, they join a club in disarray, with poor results and a side low on confidence.

However, that’s not really the case with the Sky Blues, even if they are undoubtedly underperforming by sitting in 17th place right now.

But, part of the unhappiness at Robins’ sacking is the fact that Coventry were still playing reasonably well - and that’s backed up by stats.

As per FotMob, Coventry rank fifth for xG this season, and they are also in the same position for big chances created, so they are very dangerous in the final third.

Meanwhile, defensively, the Midlands outfit are seventh best when it comes to xG conceded, so the numbers indicate they were doing a lot right, but they lacked that ruthless streak at both ends of the pitch.

Of course, Robins would argue that these stats indicate he was on the right track with the team, and results would’ve eventually reflected that. It’s also something that many fans would agree with, as well.

Frank Lampard should be aiming high with Coventry City

Before a ball was kicked this season, Coventry were hoping to be in the mix for the play-offs at least, so it’s no surprise that they do rank well on the performance metrics. Equally so, the fact they are 17th is disappointing, particularly as they are nine points away from sixth place.

Yet, such a gap can be reduced quickly in the Championship, and Lampard should no doubt be looking up the table once his appointment is announced.

The Coventry squad is packed full of good players at this level, so it’s not a case of needing to rip things up and start again.

Instead, Lampard’s job will be to try and get that little bit more out of players where it really matters.

Ellis Simms is someone who should be doing more given his ability, and he could become a prolific goalscorer at this level given his attributes.

Then, as a collective, the side should be stronger defensively, with silly mistakes and cheap goals undoing a lot of Coventry’s work at times this season.

There was understandably a lot of anger from the supporters when Robins was sacked, and his work will always be appreciated by the Sky Blues.

But, now it’s about looking forward, and there should be an appreciation that he left a talented group that are capable of taking the club to the next level.