Coventry City boss Frank Lampard’s hardline stance ahead of 'tough' Portsmouth showdown
Pompey make the trip to already-promoted Coventry City at the CBS Arena on Tuesday evening.
Frank Lampard has made it clear his Coventry City players have to have their ‘heads back on’ for Tuesday night’s ‘tough’ showdown against Pompey.
And the Sky Blues head coach has explained why he hasn’t sanctioned any parties for his players following theirpromotion on Friday.
Following Saturday’s 1-0 win over relegation rivals Leicester City, the Blues now sit seven points above the danger zone with three matches remaining.
They make the trip to the CBS Arena on Tuesday evening hoping to mathematically secure their survival, while Coventry could also clinch the Championship title.
The Sky Blues have, of course, already secured their spot in next season’s Premier League following their 1-1 draw against Blackburn Rovers.
It marked their return to the top flight of English football after a 25-year hiatus, with Lampard’s squad uniting with the travelling supporters at Ewood Park to celebrate.
Frank Lampard’s hardline stance ahead of Pompey
And while the head coach allowed his players to enjoy a beer or two on the coach home, the ex-Chelsea man made it clear any partying had to wait until after the campaign’s conclusion.
Speaking on Sky Sports after the game: ‘They can have a couple of beers on the way home but we’ve got to go, we’ve got to push on now.
‘They (the players) had a bit of a party after (last week’s draw against) Sheffield Wednesday when we were not promoted, but we all knew teams weren’t going to turn around a 30-goal difference.
‘When they trained a bit average on Tuesday and Wednesday, I had the hump and said we’ve got a lot of work to do. It’ll be a similar message (ahead of Pompey).
‘Now we’re there it’s a nice comfort and they deserve to have a beer - the fans will have loads of beers - but they deserve that moment.
‘We do have to get our heads back on for Portsmouth because we’ve had three draws on the bounce, it’s understandable in this tense moment but we want to go on and do it.’
Coventry boss’ Pompey admission
Lampard is well-aware of the threat which the Blues pose and is expecting a ‘tough’ battle, with the showdown having huge implications at either end of the standings.
‘We’ve got Portsmouth, that’ll be a tough game at home then Wrexham will be a tough game,’ he added.
‘If we play like we played all season at our best with the edge like we did in the last 20 minutes (against Blackburn Rovers), we will be fine.
‘But we’ve got to sustain that for our own self, for our own feeling because we want to finish the season and go every bit from July 1 in pre-season to the end and be spot on. We will try and do that.’
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