Coventry City: Sky Sports pundit makes bold Premier League claim amid Frank Lampard uptick | OneFootball

Don Goodman has had his say on Coventry City's play-off chances under Frank Lampard.

Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman believes that, after an inconsistent opening to the 2024/25 season, Coventry City have started to get their act together under Frank Lampard, and have given themselves an outside chance of reaching the play-offs.

Coventry had a relatively quiet window compared to many of their Championship rivals. However, Lampard still added one statement signing to his first-team squad. Despite that, they also retained all of their key players as well, which has not always been true in recent seasons.

A deal was struck to bring Matt Grimes from Swansea City to the CBS Arena in a bid to bolster the club’s chances of claiming a top six finish this season. After such an impressive run of recent form, the top six isn't a million miles away for Coventry.

The final months of the season, now that the transfer window has closed, could be key in influencing the remaining encounters, as is the case with a whole host of their Championship rivals. Lampard's side are in strong form in the league, with seven wins and three draws from his 14 games in charge so far.

Don Goodman's verdict on Coventry City's play-off chances

For many, Coventry's play-off hopes had been written off before their recent winning run. Speaking to Football League World via OLBG, Don Goodman was asked for his thoughts on their chances now.

The Sky Sports pundit said: "When you win four games in a row and collect 12 points in such a short period of time, you will catapult up the league. Coventry City are now in a top-half position, which reflects their squad and particularly their attacking talent. Losing against Leeds United, who are the best team in the league, is nothing to worry about.

"Frank Lampard has improved Coventry's defensive performances. After the Leeds game, they've got six clean sheets in 14 games, having only kept two clean sheets in their previous 17 outings. If you want to have any success in the Championship, the best way to do it is by building from a solid foundation. They were conceding too many goals earlier on in the season.

"I do think they'll be in the mix. I can actually see them winning another four games on the bounce at some point as they've got the attacking talent. You can't rule them out. When I previously wrote them off, it was due to an 11-point gap, but a month later it's now down to three, and they certainly have the ability to make the play-offs.

"Frank did well at Derby, did well at Chelsea during his first spell, you can write off his second stint, and kept Everton up. We've seen how difficult it's been for other managers at Everton, too. He hasn't had a bad coaching career, so I never doubted he could do well at Coventry, given the squad at his disposal.

"When Wayne Rooney went to Plymouth, there were always going to be doubts about his record, even though I wanted him to do well. But I had no doubts that Frank Lampard would do okay. But he needs to do more than okay, he needs to get Coventry to the Premier League under this regime."

Coventry City's end to the season under Frank Lampard

Coventry's play-off hopes very much looked like they were fading, but recent results have brought them right back into contention under Lampard and the arrival of Grimes is a lift around the club, and could prove to be a big difference-maker in the play-off race.

If he can hit the ground running, then he could be a great fit for Lampard’s side, who are in largely strong form at the moment anyway, despite defeat to Leeds last week. They will need to make the most of games against other sides in the hunt for the play-offs, with Leeds somewhat of a free hit at this moment in time.

Besides Wednesday night, their recent form should be encouraging that a play-off place is achievable again this year, having reached the final in 2023. That said, should they miss out, then they at least have a foundation from which to build next season.