Frank Lampard Pre-Match Press Conference | Arsenal vs Coventry City | Premier League

Are you satisfied with the balance of your squad? We'll see. I'm happy. We knew we had work to do. Pretty much par for the course, I think. Different teams that get promoted. We know what the gap is. History tells you that. And also, I think the circumstances under which we were promoted with our squad have been really good because it's been a great story, especially considering the squad we had and the lack with Premier League experience in our squad, but it's been great. The players have developed. and the players have got there and deservedly earned our place in the Premier League. But we know We had work to do. So we tried to strike the balance between working smartly and hopefully strategically. window to bring in players to help the squad that we already had. And we'll see as the What else comes in terms of ins and outs when the window goes on? You had a lovely balance in central midfield last season, an area, of course, that you know extremely well. Franck van Dijk and Matt Grimes tend to be the two players who are somewhat like the big names in the style of Josh Eccles. You've signed two more central midfielders this summer transfer window. Can we expect departures? then in that situation? Or if not, how do you strive to ensure that you maintain cohesion with those players who might not be playing as much as they'd like? Yeah, well, we had a relatively small squad last year and it worked out for us. It was good. for cohesion, as you put it, in terms of areas where we could keep players fit and playing in rhythm. What is also clear, though, is that we're stepping up a whole level. now and we need competition, competition in training, competition for game time, and the the rigors of the Premier League and the different physical demands of the Premier League the team and how we want the squad to look, and the profile of the squad, means that we've had to add players in different areas, as you put it. So I was very, very happy with the squad last year and what we accomplished. But we know the level will increase, so we're striving to work towards making ourselves competitive at that level. And once again, we will analyze over the the next two weeks, how the squad is looking, where it's at, and when we feel what we need What we'll go in with is by the end of the window. How are the players looking for Friday? First game of the new season. Is everyone available? Do you have any injury updates? Yeah, we have a couple of issues. A lot of players are available, and a lot of players We're fit. We've had a good pre-season. It's a challenge to have a pre-season in a promotion campaign. year because it's hard to do business early, as you said, in those first month or two months even, especially with the World Cup taking place. So we've had to be patient and focused during pre-season terms meaning getting the players fit after their return on July 1st and integrating them players coming in at different minutes. Maybe they've just returned from the World Cup and we're Getting ready. A lot of teams face these similar issues, but we've been working toward resolving them. I think the players are fit and in a good place, ready for the challenge and ready for Arsenal. A great deal has been said about the story of Coventry, the city, the players, and the fans. I'm interested to know about the manager and about Frank Lampard, both as a person and as a manager. How do you feel about being back on stage? Are you excited about looking forward to this new season? Yeah, very excited. Very pleased. It was a great year for us and the celebrations were great. It went beyond football with this city. It reached a point where the city and football The club, a major institution in the city, has been through extremely difficult times. So much so that even intensified the sense of what the players had accomplished, and we felt it during the parade and all the celebrations at the end. So that has been amazing from my point of view to be part of that and the part that I play with myself and my staff and the existing staff that were Here before. We've worked extremely hard for this over the past 18 months to reach the playoffs. semi-final and unfortunately lose at the last moment, only to go again and win the league in the way the players did with a similar squad to the year before. It made me very proud in terms of the work that we can do, and also, of course, I'm very excited to be Here and get a club that's been out of the Premier League for 25 years and get them back. in the Premier League. But of course, it's exciting at this moment, yet we want to keep challenging And we also want to do well. What is the motivation for this season? To compete in every game we play and take each game as it comes. It's cliché, but it's also a reality of not getting too far ahead of ourselves. I have experience with the Premier The league as well as competing in a championship, so I'll try to convey that to the players. as well, but I want them to go in with a strong sense of belief. There's a good, hopefully a good energy from players who haven't played at this level yet and are desperate to play deserve to be here. I'm talking about players like Efron Mason-Clark, Brandon Thomas-Sasanto and other players. Matt Grimes has spent a long, long time working in a championship with the aim, can I reach the Premier League and continue alongside some names there? I think that's a good energy for us that we need to tap into. I think everyone should feel the same And it starts at Arsenal. It couldn't begin in a tougher place to go. You've had a truly successful tenure in charge of this club. I can only recall two instances where it probably hasn't gone according to plan. Of course, that semifinal playoff loss the the first time around, and then last season when he gave up a little bit of the lead at the top, but then people just went and it was just a straight run to the title. I'm sure you'll say it's easier to manage a side when you're winning, but next season there There might be some additional adversity that comes along, there might be some more difficult periods. How do you draw on your experience to ensure you can lead these players? What if they do arise during those difficult times? No, no, I understand. It's a good question because it's reality, and your points about losing the semi-final. I was very proud at that moment, but it was a disappointment. Even our experience In the middle of last season, I think, upon further reflection, it was the size of the squad. and some issues we encountered. So that's part of our perspective on assembling the team for this year. But in the general picture, yes, of course, I think as a football club one of Our greatest strength has always been the connection between the fans and the team. That's because the fan The base is brilliant, and the team has made it brilliant, and that connection has grown. We will definitely go through tougher times this year due to the competition we're facing. against now. So we will need resilience in moments, calmness in moments, and my role, which is an important part of my role, to maintain that balance. Through having a long playing career, through having a managerial career where I've had some really great moments and some difficult moments, you hope that you improve personally in that moment to be The balanced individual in my role to help the players through those moments that will come. But as a club, we will need to stick together in those moments. But I don't want to sound I know I'm being too negative before anything has even happened. I just think it's just reality. that we need to be prepared for. Defending champions against newcomers, of course, to get the Premier League season underway and running at the Emirates. You just said there it couldn't be a harder start. You also You said earlier that many would expect you to lose. Could this actually be the perfect opportunity? to make an early statement, show the league what you're capable of, no matter the outcome? Yeah, I think so. I want to show in our performance and how we approach the game. that we are not approaching it in any form of fear. We respect Arsenal greatly. We should due to what they have accomplished with the squad they have built and the manager. These are all things to respect, but that doesn't mean you play with excessive respect where You're passive. So I want to see that from the team in terms of our performance. I don't I think people would judge us too harshly based on just one game and wonder what that might mean for our season. because they're winning at Arsenal or losing at Arsenal. Those things are not going to Define our season. Consistency throughout the course will do. But it will give us a good feeling to show the team that played with so much spirit and energy and quality last Year, it can rise and reveal itself at this level. So I am absolutely focused on our performance. against Arsenal, no matter what the consequences may be as a result of the performance. But I want us to adopt the right mindset to approach the game, and hopefully we can Show that we're a strong team determined to accomplish something this year. You've seen some newly promoted teams persevere with the same style that proved so successful. at the championship level, but it hasn't always translated so well. In the Premier League, How do you strike that balance between maintaining your identity while also adapting to the challenges? what the Premier League will undoubtedly be bringing? Yeah, I agree. I don't think it's ever been translated to the Premier League, and I think that shows. you the gap. So I think as a coach, and between myself and the staff, we have to show our adaptability, we have to demonstrate our understanding of the different challenges presented in each game, different opposition, different individuals, higher-quality individuals. If You want to talk about attacking players being allowed too much one-on-one, too much space. It's things you might not get away with in this league that you might get away with in a Championship. So I think we have to have a clear strategy to do that, and it may mean that in different games we'll have different strategies. Clearly not going to say all of that now, but we're understanding of that On that note, you were the top scorer last season, and you had the tightest defense in the Championship. Just give us a little glimpse of what we can expect from a Premier League match. commentary? Well, we were top scorers because we had many ways of scoring goals. We could control a game and scored goals. We were controlling it a lot and had a lot of territory and then crossing and scoring goals. We also scored many goals on the counterattack, and now if you Look at the Premier League and analyze it—massive numbers of goals are scored during transitions. So the good news for us is that if we can continue that and improve upon it, then we will have the opportunity to use that as a strength. The bad news is that it will be more difficult. to do it. I would rather leave it to be seen what we do than declare it too soon. We must have the confidence to be aggressive in our approach. I don't mean in a tactical and aggressive manner, but we want to be confident in what we do. It's our job. to outline the strategy for the boys game by game, and then it will be up to the boys to, As I say, approach things as if you own them and as if you deserve to be here. The feeling going into last season was that surviving in the Premier League as a newly promoting the club was really something of a near impossible task, but Sunderland and indeed Did Leeds somewhat shift that mindset going into this campaign? In reality, I suppose yes, because I think it's easy to be an outsider or a commentator. Say those three that went up will go down. They've slightly altered that rhetoric. But those stories are important for us to analyze, and we've looked at those two extensively. specific teams, among others. You must first examine recruitment and what Sunderland did and look at Leeds and perhaps consider what Leeds did, and bear in mind that Leeds were a Premier League team two years ago, so it's a different profile for everyone. We've got our own world. and they've got theirs, but seeing how they played gives us some inspiration, but it will only we who manage to make that story for ourselves, and that's obviously over the over the course of 38 games, but of course we've looked at those stories. You touched on recruitment there; you've been quite active during this summer transfer window. bringing in a number of highly rated experienced players, but for those who were here through the championship journey, how important is it for you that they get the opportunity to show that they have also earned their place here? They have to demonstrate it through training. I've spoken extensively about how deserving they are. here and how great they were last year, but in football, once you go away for some holidays and come back, it all starts again, so they have to show up in training, and that's part of my job is to be truly supportive, work with the players, and be close to them, but part of them is also to drive training and say you need to train at a level to be able to play in the Premier League and show it, and that's a daily thing as well as game day because For me, they just connect with each other, so I love the players, but they also have to show in training they deserve to be on the team, and of course now that the stakes are higher because We are trying to introduce quality in order to promote that competition. Finally, for me, I just wonder what the key message you're conveying will be. to your players moments before they leave that dressing room on Friday night and walk out from under those bright lights? Well, it will be a mental message because our preparation and work will be carried out in terms of of our approach to what Arsenal do and what we see in them from a tactical perspective. I think I've already mentioned it in a few of my responses, but the last thing I would like to have after a game at Arsenal or any team like this is a regret of our approach and that we didn't give it everything in our own personal way. I think if we can do that then as a team we will compete in this league and show everyone what we are capable of. If we don't So that we won't be disappointed, I'll remind the players of that. We spoke on Friday, and since then you've signed Taiwo Iwani and Siddiqui Shareef. Just Give us a brief overview of what you think those two players will contribute to your team? With our own qualities. Regarding Taiwo, I and we know him from his Premier League career. experience and what he's done at Nottingham Forest. He's scored against my team before when I was at Chelsea and I always felt that he was a threat as an opponent. When we looked Across our recruitment idea, we wanted to bring in some Premier League experience. It's not necessary everywhere, but it's good to have it within the squad. Power, strength, a player that can hold the ball up, can run behind. Things in the Premier League, I think, are very, Very valuable. I think with Siddiqui he'll be different from Taiwo, but again, the ability to be able to run behind. A young, positive step from us as a club because we like to try to develop players. He's been the model here in previous years, but now we're in Premier League, so those models cost a lot more money. But also, if we can work with him to improve him, but he also brings his own attributes. I never like to just single out of that area to pitch because in the Premier League everything matters that you get exactly right. Hence, having gone through the spine of the team a little bit in an attempt to Help the squad. But of course, if you don't have that threat, if I don't have those options which every Premier League team needs at the front of the pitch, it's hard to maintain A threat. So hopefully those boys help with that. The connection with the fans is enormous; we've talked a lot about that since you've Been here. I just wonder what it's like going into the Premier League with the advent of VAR now, it's been called by various names such as a mood hoover, a joy killer, where there's no spontaneity. Since you last managed in the Premier League, obviously with Everton and Chelsea, It's moved on a bit, hasn't it? I think VAR has been introduced, and they've tried to speed things up. We now have the automated offside technology that we saw during the World Cup. Overall, it's clearly here to stay, so there's no point criticizing it necessarily, but what's your view on VAR and your message to the fans who have to get used to it, since you've only You experienced it once in the FA Cup, so you've actually gone and won Victor Thorne's goal right there. At the end of that entire thing. So anyway, that's my point. I think it was positive for me to have no VAR in the Championship last year, but I would say against that. That's probably my or our, if anyone shares the same inclination, nostalgia toward The great moment of scoring a goal, checking the linesman and knowing it's a goal. So now that we've moved beyond that, the Championship can continue to have the Conversation: I saw our website, and it said it should and maybe will come to the Championship, but now We know the rules are different; we have this VAR. I think when the stakes are so high In the Premier League, there are aspects of VAR that are very good. The clear-cut offside, I think. is very good and is now faster than it probably was when I was last here. Hopefully the referees and the VAR itself are always striving to improve in order to make it truly compatible With the game, and I think there are steps they're trying to take, judging by the sounds of it. We just have to understand that it is there and we have to understand what the differences are there. That means we've spoken to the players, and we had our usual meeting with the referees. explaining the rules and the new rules. We've spoken to the players, and as for the fans, I don't need to explain anything to the fans. They'll be frustrated when it goes against you, and it's brilliant when it works out for you. That's the life we're living now, but I wouldn't have it any other way. way because we're here. You'll maintain that connection as you go up to the fans afterward. Games. Will the fist bumps still be there, like last season when you hopefully win lots of games? Same this season? Let's see if and when we win a game. On personnel, Ephraim Mason-Clark and Jack Radonyi They weren't around for the Monaco game. Are they any closer to being involved against Arsenal? They're in contention for Arsenal. Haji Wright won't be available for the Arsenal game, and he Unfortunately, he won't be available for a little while. He's got a fairly serious A quad injury, which is disappointing for Haji and for us. Can you provide a more specific timeframe for that? It's certainly going to be several weeks. It could be as many as 12 weeks. Are you excited about what it will mean for you personally to return to the Premier League? Yes, I'm excited because I'm pleased that we're here and it's great. You want to work at the top. and the Premier League is the top. Unfortunately, when you live this job, it can take the excitement away. out unless you win three points after a game. You're forever trying to strive to be as good as you can be. So yes, I am generally excited, but there's a lot of work. This week specifically has become reality. Pre-season again, as I say, it's very hard to work normally like this. because there are so many variables—players coming in, players going out, players staying where they are. Wherever they go, they get people fit at different levels. So you're really focused on that. I'm generally excited, but of course very focused on the job. Just in time, obviously you haven't made that many starts over the past few seasons. Did you conduct any additional due diligence regarding his physical capabilities? Fair enough, our usual. But with an understanding of what you said, of course that's something we need to handle. and we have done that, absolutely. I'm not concerned about it. I think sometimes where We are trying to bring in players to the Premier League. There's a reason why Tywin leaves Nottingham Forest to come to us. We really like him and we hope he's going to be great for us. us. But we're aware of that, and I turn it toward the more mental aspect of Tywin, which is obviously probably frustrated with game time. So I like a player who comes in hungry to play and get it done. His minutes. Of course, medically we have to take care of him and prepare him, but I like a player. That's coming in wanting to be the man and wanting to play more minutes. So that's great. You mentioned just now that you looked at other models of teams that have gone up and survived. Can you explain in any detail who you specifically targeted and why? What can you learn from, and what might you be trying to adapt into your season ahead? Well, we looked at many teams, not just Sunderland and Leeds, because I think there There were some really good stories in the Premier League about teams that have been promoted fairly. Several years now that have been sustained. And there were teams, I think, just off the top of my head, the Brentfords and the Bournemouths, and they've all got their different styles of play and different management and different ways of playing. So I don't think there's an absolute way to say about any of them. I think we're all aware of the Champions League teams or the Big Six. It's different. They're operating under different parameters from ours in terms of finances, and so on. So, of course, We watch them every week, but we really wanted to focus in on those teams that were probably seemingly overachieved to whatever extent. No, I think it was interesting in terms of recruitment, but tactically, it was also interesting in terms of what distinguishes a team That stays up, forget recruitment, whether it stays up or goes down, and where are the areas? that they might be losing the ball, where is the more dangerous area to be on the ball and those sort of tactical aspects where we want to play. So we want to be an effective team in the league to make sure that we're being as effective as we can with the squad that we have. So, without going into too much detail, I think it reveals too much. It was helpful in shaping some of our tactical ideas, and that is football. Sometimes it's like being humble enough to look around and say, good work done. What does that look like for us or a version of it? That? So we've tried to do that. One piece of good news for the fans is that you're still here this season. Can you give us any idea as to whether or how much head-turning there was between now and the last season? No. Sorry to ask you such a direct question. I'm extremely, incredibly happy to be here. I've had an amazing 18 months, and now I can truly think about the future. I hope to be a manager or a man who respects the opportunity given to me by the football club and also respects the way I have been treated Taken to by fans, and I enjoy working here every day. So that's it. Thank you so much. You've drawn that out of me. Thanks for that. You mentioned three years ago since you were last in the Premier League. How has the Premier Did the league change on and off the pitch? Well, I'm not sure I've considered it so much outside the pitch. You mean from a business perspective, everything—your transfer fees? Yeah. Yeah, well, that's clear, right? I think it's changed. I guess it's a good question. because it's one of the intriguing aspects between being a player and transitioning into A manager is someone who teaches you about the other side of the game, such as agents and transfer fees. It's not the most beautiful part of the game, but it is the world we live in, so. You've got to get with that. So yeah, of course that probably makes it more difficult to be as Active as we wanted to be, this window, and I think we've worked pretty well around that. But I know that you look at some of the higher transfer fees that are being paid today, and it's Incredible where the game has come to. But that's it. I'm never going to overthink that one. As for the Premier League itself, I think it's harder for a team that's just coming up to succeed. and stay in the league, and I think that's because the overall level of the Premier League is stronger. Teams that are now, as I've mentioned a few times already, that have managed to achieve some sustainability in the Premier League and managed to rebuild their squads year after year, are stronger Overall, in my opinion. Certainly from many years ago, even toward the end of my career, now you see teams that, every team is going to give you really difficult problems and give you a challenging experience Match. In terms of the style of play, I think we're seeing a lot of the game be really contested. in the middle of the park and perhaps slowed down at times because teams are so tactically trying to nullify each other in the middle of the park and football will forever be very, very important in both of the boxes, the business end of the pitch. So how clinical can you be at the top end and how can you be at the bottom end to negate the huge amount of talent that's In the Premier League? So those are all things we've looked at, and it's been interesting. for me, because I know the Premier League very well. You work in the Championship bubble and You really focus on that, and that's its own entity, which is great entertainment and great. to work in. And then I've spent a lot of time over the summer looking at the Premier League. to get my mind completely focused again on the minor changes, as you mentioned. So we've seen Hopefully a lot, and hopefully we're ready to deal with it. How much do you think you've changed since your second spell at Chelsea, since you've Arrived in Coventry? Has it obviously improved? What's been the difference? Yeah, my second spell at Chelsea wasn't great from a PR standpoint when you look at it. but it was great for me from a personal standpoint because I've referred to it before and I definitely don't want to talk about Chelsea too much here because it's my club, after all. extent because of the career I had there, and we'll always have a big place for them. But Going back, there was an understanding of situations at a football club where the balance it's not right, the mindset isn't right, and all those little things that have to be right and standards and all those things. So I had a good learning there about what that meant and it was very difficult to make any impact there in a short period of time, but I could Go away and sort of see that. I kind of knew it anyway, but I lived it for seven weeks. There. And ever since, I'll probably just look back on my entire managerial career. and say I try to be better every day at what I do. I try to be better at the tactical side, try to be as clear as possible with the players and also try to get my life balance to be as good as it can be. And that's a challenge. We can all pretend that we are robots, but in modern times it's hard to be that robot and not see or hear anything. But having gone through the challenges, both good and bad, in my managerial role career, I think it puts me in a better position to handle not getting too high, not getting too low Too low. Keep focusing on your job. And I'm better at it than I was before. You speak about that documentary with José Mourinho. I was just wondering whether he's been in touch ahead of the start of the season when you've spoken. Obviously he's got a new club as well. Yeah, we were in touch when we got promoted. He very nicely sent me some nice messages. At the time. Same thing when he got the job at Real Madrid. And then we spoke, I brought this up yesterday, so I think it's been out there, but we spoke about a certain player that He had worked with before, and I was simply asking for a reference on a player to keep private. And he gave me a good reference, as I had expected, and we wished each other well. And I also said that the documentary is great and it was great sitting through it and taking it back All those memories of old good times. And even though I know Jose very well and he had a huge impact on my career; it was quite inspiring to go back over it and realize why and how He made that impact on me personally. And in my job, little things like that are great. just to remember. And remember sometimes you can get caught up in all the tactics and the details, and the details, and the details, and you go over these things. You normally remember the impact of what someone said to you or how they behaved around you to make you feel like you could do your job better, and Jose did that for me. So it reminded me that that's The most important thing in my role as well. There was a strong focus on set-pieces last season due to how effective they were. Them. I'm just wondering if there's been extra attention from your crew during the build-up? Yeah, we're always attentive during set-pieces, but as I said, talking about adapting to different levels going up and against the opposition and what they do, Arsenal have proved themselves to be the the best in the world at set-pieces and extremely strong at both ends. So we have given That firm detail to the players. Another player who joined the club, Gus Hamer as well, obviously played for this club previously. You weren't here before that, of course, but I'm just wondering what he's been like. What has he given to the crew during his first few days back at the club? Yeah, it's been going really well. We brought Gus in, and it's been a nice added bonus that he's been here. before, and he's a fan's favorite and a hero to the fans. We felt that in his first appearance when he came on last week. But more than that, he's a skilled player and he offers us something different from what we have. My perspective, having known Gus's history here and know the references of the player that he is, but more for me going against him at Sheppard United, I felt he was the most difficult playmaker to play against in the Championship. He would always find forward passes, dangerous passes, and get shots away. All those things. And for me at this level, those little things are great advantages to have. Has Premier League experience, has a personality about him that makes us fearless about going ahead the Premier League. So he's fitted in very well with us again and is a strength to us in the squad Just when you talk about studying those teams that have risen and flourished in the Premier League, how significant a factor is physicality and that power, that aspect of the game? Is that a A significant area where you've looked at and thought this is where you might need to improve? Yeah, I felt that even before studying anyone. And when I say I'm studying, I want to look like we're trying to impersonate anyone as a team. We've just looked to see what's interesting parts of how teams are playing and what's effective and what isn't. But before that and having studied some of those teams to see how they've recruited and what they've Done, physicality is a major part of what it takes to compete in this league. I think There is a difference between the Championship and the Premier League in those terms, especially the kind of team that we may have to become. And you must be able to compete at a physical level to be successful in this league. And you must have the raw ability to do so. Whether that is in terms of running physicality, in terms of size now with the The nature of set-pieces is something we took very seriously in our recruitment. How much has that changed? They don't necessarily relate to what you might expect. When I'm saying that, I'm not claiming the numbers have skyrocketed. In some areas they have. In others areas where there is less in-play time, which affects the total distance and other metrics in a game. But I would say I've played at a higher level. I've played in teams that were really, really physically strong. I look left and I look right and it's six foot two and six feet two, high quality. And it's helpful, and it always will be. But I think In the modern game, it remains very helpful to be able to compete at that level. I like. my teams to be like that. The boys did great last year, as I said, but to reach that level that we have coming, we must be able to compete physically, which means all of our training, all our preparation, as well as the recruitment I've mentioned, is necessary to be spot-on in order to be able to compete, because it's a step up for some of our boys. And the boys who come in have to understand that as well, because a fair bit of our recruitment has come from players who haven't played in the English league, let alone the Premier league. So they will have to understand that. How do you strike that balance between what you want to improve but not totally get rid of? What made you so successful last year in terms of momentum and things like that? Well, we've tried to do that, and I think we have done so because we have retained, At this point, all of our squad except Jamie Allen, who left on a free transfer, were out. of contract with us. So whether some parts of that may change over the next couple of weeks remain to be seen. But we've maintained the balance of the squad. I want to keep the spirit the team. I don't want to kill the spirit of the squad because it was a huge part of What we do, we'll need it. But we also try to add quality and maintain it properly. So hopefully we've done that.