Blue Skies the limit: Lampard’s Coventry City continue playoff push

Coventry City have enjoyed an excellent start to 2025, with Frank Lampard’s Sky Blues going from strength to strength as they chase down a Championship playoff spot.

The England legend’s appointment in November last year, after Coventry parted ways with long-serving manager Mark Robins, attracted plenty of attention – not least because he inherited a side languishing only one point above the relegation zone.

Lampard, who has had previous spells with Derby County, Everton, and Chelsea, struggled early into his tenure at the CBS Arena, winning just three of his first ten games. Any scepticism of his credentials has now surely faded: Coventry find themselves seventh in the table, with only the top three in the league having picked up more points since the new manager took over.

After a dramatic victory over Sheffield Wednesday on penalties in the FA Cup third round, City went on to win their next four Championship fixtures, conceding only one goal. Defeat to league leaders Leeds brought Coventry down to earth, but they have since returned to form, with three more victories making it seven wins in their last eight league encounters.

The imminent return of top scorer Haji Wright and winger Ephron Mason-Clarke may give Lampard a selection headache

A 1-4 loss to Ipswich Town in the FA Cup means Coventry’s recent heroics in the competition are now firmly behind them. Yet even in defeat, Lampard could take plenty of confidence in his side’s showing against elite opposition. Coventry outperformed Ipswich on possession and expected goals, and now have no distractions from the league.

What is perhaps most remarkable about City’s exceptional run is that it has come in the absence of several key players. The imminent return of top scorer Haji Wright and winger Ephron Mason-Clarke may give Lampard a selection headache in attack, as Ellis Simms and Brandon Thomas-Asante have continued to perform in the pair’s absence. New signings Matt Grimes and Jamie Paterson are also shrewd additions, providing the strength in depth needed to mount a playoff push.

New leaders of the chasing pack and now only one point outside of the playoffs, Coventry’s run since November may seem nothing short of miraculous, but Lampard’s side have put in the performances to back it up. Opta currently calculate Coventry as being most likely to finish fifth or sixth, and give them a 44% chance of going up via the playoffs.

Coventry’s mettle will be tested at the end of March when they face Sunderland, Sheffield United and Burnley

The Sky Blues’ recent sprint up the table shows plenty of promise, but a marathon effort will still be required if Lampard is serious about achieving promotion this year. With just seven points between fifth and fourteenth in the Championship table, there’s any number of potential suitors should City start to slip up.

Coventry’s mettle will be tested at the end of March when they face Sunderland, Sheffield United and Burnley in three consecutive games. All three of those teams remain in with a chance of automatic promotion this season, and may represent the biggest challenge Lampard has faced to date.

The race for promotion shows no signs of slowing down, but neither have Coventry – all they need to do is keep on winning. With twelve games to go, a dream first season under Lampard is looking week by week just a little bit closer.