Frank Lampard’s blunt message to Sunderland ahead of second leg
FRANK LAMPARD insists his Coventry City side still have every chance of making it to the play-off final – and has warned Sunderland they face a tactical dilemma ahead of Tuesday’s second-leg decider at the Stadium of Light.
Regis Le Bris delivered a defensive tactical masterclass as his Black Cats side claimed a 2-1 win at the CBS Arena last night.
Playing in a 4-4-2 formation, with two defensive banks of four, Sunderland’s players sat deep and invited Coventry on to them before smothering their opponents in the final third. Then, when they gained possession, they sprung effectively on the counter-attack, with Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda both scoring in the second half.
The Black Cats have a lead to defend when they host the decisive second leg on Tuesday night, so Le Bris will have to decide whether to repeat last night’s defensive approach or set up his side to be more positive in an attempt to kill off the game.
“It will be different in the second leg,” said Lampard. “We don’t know how they’re going to play. Will they want to play so low at home, or will the fans want to drag them forward?
“They know they’re holding the lead, so it’s up to them what their strategy is, and we’ll have to be adaptable on the day to try to find a way, whatever they do.
“If they come out more, they’ll be a different type of threat, playing between the lines, probably with the two number eights, which is how they often play.
“They didn’t do that here, they sat back and waited to counter-attack. They sucked it up, and now they’ve got something to hold onto, but I’ve got no idea how they will approach the next game.
“They may take that approach again at home, we’ll have to see. I think they brought that approach here because of what they felt when they played against us in the league.
“I think they maybe looked at how we’ve been playing here at the CBS, and I understand that. Credit to them. But we’ll look at it for the second leg. If they come out a bit more, we’ll see what that means. There’s pressure on us both in different ways now.”
When Lampard was the manager of Derby County, he oversaw a remarkable turnaround in the play-off semi-finals in the 2018-19 season.
Lampard’s Derby side lost the first leg of their semi-final to Leeds United 1-0 at Pride Park, but went on to claim a 4-2 win at Elland Road that enabled them to secure a 4-3 aggregate victory. Clearly, the Coventry boss will be hoping that history repeats itself on Tuesday night.
“I’ve played in many two-legged games, Champions League football, all kinds of football, so I understand the situation,” said Lampard. “The game was never going to be over after the first leg, and it’s not over, that’s for sure. They’ll know it’s not over – and we know it’s not over too.”
Lampard was, however, happy to concede that he was impressed with Sunderland’s defensive display last night, with his Coventry side recording just three efforts on target despite having more than 74 per cent possession over the course of the game.
“Sunderland defended their box brilliantly,” he said. “They defended low, that was their approach. They made it hard for us to find spaces and get clear opportunities.
“I wasn’t too frustrated. It’s a play-off game, so you’re never expecting them to open the doors for you. That’s never going to happen. We tried to make some small tweaks, but they kept closing the space when we were trying to move the ball.
“It’s not easy. I’ve played against a low block many a time, and it’s not easy. You’ve got to keep going. If the game had finished 0-0, we would have gone again on Tuesday, but obviously circumstances changed in the second half.”
