'Critical moment' - Chelsea legend Frank Lampard lifts lid on how past managerial spells have helped him at Premier League-chasing Coventry City

Lampard led Derby to the Championship Play-Off Final in 2019, only to be beaten at Wembley by Aston Villa. Despite having some difficult spells at Chelsea and Everton since then, the ex-England star - who took over at the Sky Blues last November - says his time with the Rams is proving to be beneficial for him at Coventry.

He told Sky Sports: "Derby was my first year in management so I was learning a lot anyway. But also understanding the demands of the Championship, the amount of games, the styles, and this critical moment of trying to chase something. We did the same with Derby, and we managed to make the playoffs, and every situation is obviously different, but I think it's good to know the feeling of what the league is. It's so competitive. Sometimes it can be up and down by nature, where you're on a good run, getting good results, and then a surprise result or performance, or you know different styles of teams [come up] against you [who are] more physical at times. So I've experienced that before and it certainly helped me in coming into this job, and I've I thought that when I took the job that I could rely on all my experiences in management, but particularly with Derby."

Lampard's reputation had taken a hit after being sacked at Everton and barely winning a game in a short and unsuccessful second spell in charge at Chelsea in 2023. However, Coventry are now on the cusp of securing a Championship play-off spot after languishing in the bottom half of the table when he took over. The former midfielder is impressing so far but there is still a long way to go.

Lampard's Coventry, who sit sixth in the Championship, will hope to beat relegation-threatened Luton Town on Saturday.