Coventry City have been playing with a back-three as of late and are already seeing improvements.
The Sky Blues have only just picked up their first win in the Premier League, beating Nottingham Forest 1-0 at the City Ground.
It came right after the first time they managed to score a goal against top-flight opposition, in a 3-1 defeat at home to Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup. They had already won 4-2 away at Plymouth Argyle in the cup.
Those might sound like small achievements, but Coventry fans seem to have realistic expectations for the season. They did not get shaken up by the four straight defeats to start the league campaign and are celebrating the players and coaching staff every game.
But Frank Lampard might be onto something with his ‘new’ system that has gotten the Sky Blues those achievements.
The former legendary midfielder’s best season of his managerial career in the Premier League came in 2019/20 with Chelsea. And it was precisely going back-and-forth from his preferred 4-3-3 to sometimes the 3-4-3 that he led a young and limited Blues squad to fourth in the table.
This time, he activated a similar ‘protocol’ in order to try and get Coventry out of the small crisis they found themselves in.
| Stat (per game) | 3-4-3 | 4-2-3-1 | 4-1-4-1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matches played | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| W-D-L | 1-0-2 | 0-0-2 | 0-0-1 |
| Goals scored | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Goals conceded | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| Shots taken | 12.0 | 13.0 | 4.0 |
| Shots faced | 20.3 | 12.0 | 20.0 |
| Big chances for | 1.7 | 0.5 | 1.0 |
| Big chances against | 2.7 | 3.0 | 1.0 |
| Expected Goals | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.20 |
| Expected Goals against | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.9 |
*Considering only matches against Premier League opposition across all competitions
Why does the 3-4-3 suit Frank Lampard’s Coventry?
The Stephen Mfuni factor
Stephen Mfuni has only played two games for Coventry and already looks like a revelation. That is despite him making a few ‘rookie mistakes’ against Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup.
The former Manchester City defender likes to play out from the back, having enough quality and certainly bravery to attempt take-ons near his own goal. It’s a high-risk, high-reward type of situation.
Mfuni may lack a bit of defensive tenacity to play as one of the two central defenders of a back-four. But he also has attacking limitations due to being a defender. That’s why a three-at-the-back set fits him perfectly.
And he has a great right foot for a left-footed defender, making him an option to play on both sides. Lampard took advantage of that and placed him as right-centre-back in the win against Nottingham Forest, leaving a more limited left-footed centre-back in Ethan Pinnock on the left, with Bobby Thomas between them.
Mfuni does not seem to be bothered in the air either. In fact, he has won all five of his aerial duels across all competitions, for club and country, this season.
While it is a small sample, he show the same prowess during his loan spell at Watford last term. He only played eight games, but averaged 3.0 aerial duels contested per 90 minutes at a whopping 96% win rate.
He is highly combative and could help Coventry defend their box while also adding skill and technique to get them out of their own half and into the opponent’s.
Well defined roles for wingers and wing-backs
The 3-4-3 also encourages wingers/wide midfielders to combine with the wing-backs, who take a slight step up in the pitch into a more advanced position.
This is the perfect scenario for both sets of players, seeing as they, in theory, have to cover smaller distances. Coventry’s main weapon under Lampard has always been crossing, whether it’s from set pieces or creating wide overloads and combinations.
With the full-backs usually invested in the attacking actions and going to the byline, having them as wing-backs with three centre-backs behind them facilitates this job.
Meanwhile, the wingers/attacking midfielders also have smaller distances to run. Especially Jack Rudoni, who used to play the No.10 role in their 4-2-3-1 in the Championship, but always participating in the plays whether they happened on the left or on the right.
Ephron Mason-Clark is already used to spending most of his time on the left. But Rudoni could now stay put more often. This would also go a long way in helping him stay fit. The constant movement from right to left and then back to right may have played a part in his many injury issues over the past year.
There’s also the possibility to shut things down by playing more mobile centre-backs as wing-backs, such as Mfuni and Joel Latibeaudiere. Or even doubling down on the wingers to add more attacking powers should they need to.
Defensive coverage
There’s also the defensive bonus of having one extra defender at the back. We’ve previously touched on the Sky Blues’ issues with rest defence, given how every loss of possession in the attacking half turned into dangerous fast breaks for Arsenal and Hull City.
It’s not like they have suddenly become world beaters at the back since Lampard changed their formation to a 3-4-3.
Facing Man City away and then Brighton and Hove Albion with 10 men for nearly the entire second half didn’t help their case. And yet, things have gotten slightly better in their defensive half.
Coventry could also benefit from fewer freedom of movement from wingers/attacking-midfielders and wing-backs because it strengthens the structure. Free-flowing football at its finest is equally beautiful and hard to execute, precisely because of rest defence.
It’s easier for opponents to attack a team that is not set to change gears from attack to defence because players are out of position.
And of course none of this is because they managed to win one game. It’s a long road for them to rebound from four straight defeats to start the season. But in terms of personnel and tactical fit, a back-three suits Coventry City and their players more than their old 4-2-3-1.