Lampard urged everyone to approach challenges with the right mindset and not to participate in the competition with fear.

The 2026/27 Premier League season will kick off with its first round of matches, as newly promoted Coventry City travel to face Arteta's Arsenal. Manager Lampard stated in an interview that the players must approach the challenge with the right mindset and not enter the game with fear when facing strong opponents.

In the 2025/26 Championship season, Lampard led Coventry City to a first-place finish and a return to the Premier League, marking the Sky Blues' return to the top flight after 25 years.

However, Coventry will have to go all out against defending champions Arsenal to have any chance of taking all three points.

Coventry manager Frank Lampard said, "After playing against Arsenal or similar strong teams, the last thing I want to see is us regretting how we played or feeling like we didn't give our all. If we can do that as a team, then we can compete in this league and show other teams who we are. If we can't, then we'll be disappointed, and I'll remind the players of that before the game."

“I hope that our performance and the way we play will show that we come here without any fear. We have great respect for Arsenal, but that doesn’t mean we should play passively because of excessive respect for our opponents. I hope the team goes there with the right mindset and approaches the game in the right way.”

Lampard pointed out, "Physical contact is one of the core elements that must be present when competing in this league, and there is a clear difference between the Premier League and the Championship in this respect, especially considering what kind of team we think we might need to be."

"To succeed in this league, you must have the physical ability to compete with your opponents, and the physical condition to actually do it, whether it's running ability, physical confrontation or height. In addition, set pieces are something we value very much in the recruitment process."

Lampard continued, "I've played at a very high level and for some teams with very good physical attributes. When I looked to my left and right, the people next to me were probably two teammates who were around 1.88 meters tall. They were not only tall but also very strong. That definitely helped, and it always will."

In addition, Lampard added, "I try to maintain a work-life balance. We can all pretend to be robots, but in modern society, it's also difficult to truly be a robot that doesn't care about what others say."

Image source: Internet