Frankie goes to Premier League

Ever since Frank Lampard started his managerial career, he has been under a lot of pressure from the public. After all, everyone remembered his glorious playing days, and thus, the expectations were as high as it gets.

Still, he coped with it quite well, at first, as he reached the Championship playoffs with Derby County in his maiden coaching season 2018/2019. Despite losing the final to Aston Villa and failing to take the Rams back to the Premier League, he did a good enough job to catch the eye of a club where his name is uttered with utmost respect - Chelsea.

Considering his relationship and history with the Blues, he couldn't say no to their invitation, leaving his position at Pride Park Stadium to join the Stamford Bridge crew. Yet, from day one, it was clear it wouldn't be a walk in the park.

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In his first game on Chelsea's bench, Lampard was dismantled by Man United 4-0, but he still led the Blues to the fourth EPL place in the 2019/2020 campaign. He was expected to improve the results in the following season, but instead, he was fired in January after Chelsea dropped to the ninth spot.

Thomas Tuchel succeeded him and led the London side to its second UEFA Champions League title. At that point, no one remembered Lampard anymore, even though he laid the foundations of that UCL-winning team.

After a year-long break, he took over the Everton bench from Rafa Benitez and led the Toffees to Premier League safety in the 2021/2022 campaign. Once again, both Lampard and his team experienced a serious fall, and the tactician was sacked in January 2023 after recording two draws and eight defeats in the previous ten games, leaving the club in 19th position.

Already in April, he was appointed as Chelsea's caretaker manager after Graham Potter's departure, but failed to improve the team's form, finishing in the bottom half of the table for the first time since 1996.

Another long break followed before Lampard took on a new coaching challenge, this time returning to the Championship. In November 2024, he sat on Coventry City's bench. The Sky Blues were fifth at the time, and the strategist managed to lead them to the playoffs, but the West Midlands side lost to Sunderland in the playoffs after the Black Cats' 120th-minute winner.

Regardless, Lampard earned the management's trust, which now seems to be paying off. Coventry currently top the Championship table with 19 points. In nine league rounds, they scored as many as 27 goals (three per game)! They are on a three-win run, having smashed Birmingham, Millwall, and Sheffield Wednesday with a 12-0 combined goal difference.

Hence, Lampard seems to have found his place in the sun, where he could finally achieve a respectable result. On the other hand, Coventry may have at last found a coach capable of bringing them back to the top flight after a 25-year absence.

Both the 47-year-old and the Sky Blues have suffered some "football tragedies" - Lampard with all the sacks and Coventry (most recently) when Luton Town crushed their EPL dream on penalties in the Championship playoff final in 2023.

Perhaps it's time to heal the wounds and create something huge.