Frank Lampard REACTS to Coventry’s first home Premier League win in 25 years! 👏
Frank Lampard on Coventry's first home Premier League win: satisfied but must stay grounded
In this post-match interview, Frank Lampard reflects on Coventry's 4-1 win. He praises the team's spirit, the bench and a young talent, but insists the promoted side must stay humble with a long season and a tough trip to Tottenham ahead.
- The 4-1 was a complete and satisfying performance, but the team must stay grounded and not get carried away by one win — Winning is very hard; the side showed spirit and energy and deserved its goals, but there are 30-plus games to go
- Coventry will have to suffer in many games this season when opponents have the ball and must accept the level — There will be spells when the opposition has possession and the standard is what it is
- Sadiki Sharif has huge potential and will get better — He is only 19, has a good attitude and wants to train and learn, showed personality and relentless running on the pitch, and his strike, work rate and hold-up play are impressive
- The final 20 minutes after the goal back were a real worry, and a centre-back scoring like that against them is not normal — The opponents had chances after a fantastic strike, Coventry defended well at times but were off it at others, and the opposition's physicality troubled their back line in the second half
- The attitude and contribution of the bench are crucial for a promoted team; without that spirit they have no chance — Players have to come on without sulking and give 20 minutes; two substitutes scored and Sakamoto's pressing led to the third goal
- Tatsuhiro Sakamoto is a quality player and a fans' favourite who keeps the right mentality even when he does not start — He gives everything every day and on matchday, is quality on and off the ball, and although it hurts not to start him, he will keep working
- He was not convinced before the match that Coventry could produce that intensity because the manager can only prepare and the players decide the execution — He could only hope and set the team up; on matchday he can affect things but it is in the players' hands whether they listen and deliver
- Coventry cannot bask in the 4-1 win because any relaxation in the Premier League leaves them with no chance, and Tottenham away will be tough — He watched Tottenham play very well at Man United; the team must take it game by game and build on spirit, duels, second balls and the basics
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Transcript
Well done, Frank. Another win and four goals. How satisfying a night is that? >> Very, very satisfying. Um, it's so hard to win. I said that before the game to win on the road against Forest to go back to back at home, but played like the team that we want to be here, the team that you look at and go, there's there's so much spirit and energy in in the group. And we know we're going to have to suffer this season a lot in games and uh there are periods where they have the ball and we have to understand it that the level is what it is. Um but the the the work ethic of the boys, the belief and then so you get what you deserve which is like great finishes. You know, we haven't quite had that sort of rubber to green so far this season which might have helped us nick a couple more points than what we've even got. But I'm always a believer in you keep going and subs come in and they add to the game with their energy and then they get their goals. But um as a complete performance, we got to keep our feet on the ground because it's only one today tonight because we're going to have to do 30 plus more of those. But it's uh it's a great uh feeling for the players to feel that. >> Yeah. How pleased were you with the way the players set the tone at the start of each half scoring early in in the first and second half. >> Yeah, it was a big thing for us today to to start the game well and um I understand the sort of team that they are and probably how the manager wants them to be. I felt they will come here with their own energy as most teams do now, right? Every team's physical, you know, and it's all about jewels and first, second balls, but if you can get that feeling in the beginning of the game, especially in a home game, and of course, we get the goal with it, which is which is great for us. So, um, yeah, something that we've been talking about, and and the lads delivered it. >> Sadiki Sharif really announced himself tonight, didn't he? What a goal. I mean, how much potential has he got? How exciting is he? >> Very, very exciting because he's he's so young. He's 19. He's got a really good manner, really good way about him as a lad. He wants to train. He wants to learn. He's quite quiet. But on the pitch today, showed a a lot of personality. didn't stop running. Uh, and you know, he'll get better because we can work with him and he'll just develop I think as you go, but when you see the quality of the strike, when you see his work ethic and hold up play at 19, you know, there's there's a lot to come from him. >> What were you thinking when they pulled a goal back then? Because they put you under some pressure before that, hadn't they? >> Well, I was thinking how many center arms are going to stick it in the top corner against us this season cuz it's not it's not the norm. And then um it's a long 20 minutes to go after that and it's a fantastic strike. You know, they had some chances. We're going to have to accept that and that. But we also did some good defensive work at times and a couple of them was a little bit off it and they got aggressive with us on our back line in the second half and it gave us some issues. But uh yeah, that was a worry clearly. But again, you know, we we started to make some changes cuz the lads have put so much into the game. Um and that's when you're asking for good lads who train all week who want to play that sit on the bench and go, I'm not going to sulk. I'm going to come on and add to this performance that if we haven't got that this season, if we haven't got that spirit and players that want to go, yeah, I'll come on and give 20 minutes and and help and get make us better. We haven't got a chance because we're not we're we're promoted team. We need everybody and few lads need to know that and a lot of the lads knew that tonight. >> Yeah. I mean, two of your subs score, but also the way that Tatsahhiro Sakamoto won the ball back before the third third goal that really shows his his hunger. It's lovely when a plan comes together, isn't he? Putting those subs on. >> Yeah. Yeah. People said maybe you should start fighters when it's like that. I don't know. I I think with Tatsu, he he's such a pleasure to work with. he you know his his manner every day what he gives you when he plays he'll give you absolutely everything um that it hurts not to start him and play him um but he'll just keep working and keep going which is the right mentality to have and he's a very good player so it's great for him the feeling he always gives that when he's at it it's on and off the ball he's a quality player he's big fans favorite here and rightly so >> yeah it's a long time since that win over Nottingham Forest has it felt a long time over over the last three and a bit weeks so I mean were you convinced that you would be able to to pick up the intensity like you did tonight. >> I was not convinced because you have to hope. You have to prepare well for the game, explain it to the players, but um reality of my job is you do that through the week and then you have to watch what happens a little bit. You can affect things on match day, but you're in the hands of the players and how they listen to what we're saying. And we wanted it to be this. We wanted it to be energy. We wanted to be a threat in terms of our speed. Players are now well to the tonight getting settled. Like I thought Rudy was really good. you know, his qualities that he's shown us already in the championship and then today he's a player that goes, "Yeah, I'm here." Brandon Thomas again, full of energy, start going through players, but they may be hopefully starting to feel like they belong here. But the important thing is that they they keep very um level and grounded after it because the next game's the next tough game. But it's a nice little template that we have to continue with. >> You're not letting the players bask for long in the glory of a 4-1 Premier League win then. No, no, because I've been around it too long and if you bask in any glory or you sit back, we've got Tottenham uh away next game and I watched them play at Man United yesterday and they played really well. So, you know, we have to take every game as it comes, we have to continue with the same feeling. The minute we relax in this league, no chance, no chance for us. So, um if we're going to do something, if we're going to outperform, we're going to outreach, then it has to be built on the on the baseline of spirit and jewels and second balls and all the basics. And we were great at that tonight. Back you Frank. Thanks a lot mate.