Coventry City personnel boost gives Frank Lampard 'food for thought' on formations
A return to a back four and wingers looks to be on the horizon for Coventry City after a successful spell with a back three and wing-backs that has steadied the team and seen it move up the Championship table.
The Sky Blues have significantly tightened up in terms of not leaking so many goals since changing formation at Norwich early last month, which Frank Lampard says was more forced upon him because of injuries than a direct effort to shore up the defence.
But with Ephron Mason-Clark making his comeback against QPR after 10 games out with a hamstring strain, the head coach has the option to revert to using wingers in the coming weeks when Haji Wright is also scheduled to return from long-term injury. Throw in the prospect of Jamie Paterson signing on a free transfer – the versatile forward comfortable on the left or right flank – and the City boss could soon have both strength and balance in the wide areas of the pitch.
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Mason-Clark still needs to build up his match minutes, as will Wright who is yet to return to training at Ryton, and Paterson, too, if the club are successful in signing him – the 33-year-old having not played a match since before Christmas.
But Tuesday night’s return of the former Peterborough man clearly gives Lampard a number of formation options for the coming weeks and months. It’s likely to be a slow process until all wide men are back up to speed. But, for the time being at least, it gives him the option of being able to start with one system and switch to the other in the second half.
“Yeah, it gives me food for thought, for sure,” said Lampard, asked about the prospect of reverting to a back four and wingers. “I think we can be adaptable, which I think we have shown, and each game can give you different challenges where you feel due to the opposition or your strengths from a back three as opposed to having wingers in your team.
“It’s great to have the options because we have been slightly stuck for options because of the injury. It’s kind of what took us into a back three if I am honest, with those injuries, and I have been pleased with that because it has shown another side to them and another way of playing.
“But hopefully we have that option back and Haji is back in the next couple of weeks, and Sheafy the same, so there will be good, competitive options here which we probably haven’t had for the last six weeks, for sure, so that’s a real positive for us.”
