Frank Lampard identifies key Coventry issue after difficult Premier League start

Frank Lampard has urged Coventry City to adapt quickly to the demands of Premier League football after a difficult start to their long-awaited return to the top flight.

The Sky Blues have lost their opening two matches, following defeat at champions Arsenal with a damaging home loss against fellow promoted side Hull City. Manchester City at the Etihad comes next, leaving Coventry facing an unforgiving introduction to life back among England's elite.

Lampard, however, does not believe abandoning Coventry's identity and simply becoming a defensive side is necessarily the answer.

Coventry enjoyed plenty of possession against Hull but struggled to turn it into meaningful attacking opportunities.

“We're not here to play possession football,” Lampard said. “We have played too much possession football and too slow.”

The manager believes his players were too cautious with their passing, particularly when opportunities were available to move forward quickly.

“It took us too long to get up the pitch,” he explained. “We could have taken messy situations to play forward and we played safe, and that's generally not us.”

The arrival of Ethan Pinnock from Brentford does provide Lampard with greater tactical flexibility, including the possibility of moving from a back four to a three-man central defence when required.

Lampard also acknowledged that some of his players may still be adjusting mentally to the level.

Coventry's trip to Arsenal represented a first Premier League experience for several members of the squad, while the Hull fixture was the first top-flight match staged at the CBS Arena.

Lampard accepted that apprehension may have affected Coventry's passing and decision-making, but warned that it cannot become an excuse.

“The Premier League will give that edge and we'll have to get used to that and quickly,” he said.

Hull demonstrated one possible survival blueprint by defending with a back five, conceding possession and attacking through counter-attacks and set-pieces.

Coventry attempted a more proactive approach but lacked their usual attacking sharpness, with Lampard noting that Ephron Mason-Clark missed pre-season and Rudi Johnson has only recently returned.

With Manchester City next, Lampard's challenge is finding a balance between remaining brave enough to attack and becoming more pragmatic when Premier League opposition demands it.

Coventry now face perhaps their toughest assignment yet when they travel to Manchester City.

Lampard must decide whether to retain the front-foot approach used against Hull or introduce greater defensive protection, but his message is clear: Coventry cannot allow caution and apprehension to remove the qualities that earned them promotion.