Frank Lampard may have been out of the game for 18 months but the new Coventry City coach didn’t just sit back and relax, he set about preparing himself for his next managerial/coaching challenge.
Yes, there was time to spend with his young family, play a bit of golf and do a bit of media work but the ambitious 46-year-old is a student of the game and made sure he used the last year and a half to learn from some of the best in the business, spending time with the likes of Brentford’s Thomas Frank, the highly decorated Roy Hodgson and Pep Guardiola to name just three.
And admirer of their work, the new Sky Blues boss studied the tactics employed by Bournemouth, Ipswich and, say it quietly, Aston Villa to improve his knowledge of the game and set the foundations for his return.
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In answer to the question of how he’s spent his time since his last role as interim manager at Chelsea came to an end, he said: “I haven’t gone to many other countries. I’m probably fortunate, after a long career as a player and my roots, I can tap into a lot of expertise and other people’s experiences.
“I stayed very close to other managers that are working in the game. I’ve had dinners with Thomas Frank and Roy Hodgson, people I have a lot of respect for as managers. Gareth Southgate before the Euros.
“I was very lucky, I went up to work in a bit of a media capacity with Manchester City and Pep invited me in and we had an hour chat.
“I went to see Thomas Frank and the work he is doing at Brentford. It’s always enlightening when someone sees the game differently to you, so I’ve done a lot of that.
“But, if I’m honest, the main thing I’ve done is watch a lot of games. And probably go over a lot of things I’ve done in my training and planning for what may come next.
“It’s not an easy situation but I’ve watched a lot of games where teams have tried to do something different and I tap into it. I watch back games from the weekend, predominantly Premier League games and Championship games.”
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Asked what teams he’s enjoyed watching the most, he said: “That always changes. This is my job and I’ll watch matches from a wide angle and it kind of takes some of the excitement out of it with the noise off. But for me tactically, it’s good to watch.”
He added: “I actually played with Andoni Iraola in New York and what Bournemouth are doing this year - some of their off the ball work - and how aggressive they are off the ball, I watched a lot of that.
“I watched a lot of Ipswich last year and was obviously interested in what was happening there. Credit to the manager and coaches for what they’ve done there. I go into areas where something interests me - Aston Villa last year.
“These are great things but it’s important as a manager you have your own ideas. But you can definitely look at what other people are doing and it’s great to see.”
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