‘LEARNING CURVE’ LOSS IS NOT SEASON DEFINING

SKY BLUES BOSS REMAINS POSITIVE AS HE SAYS THE AIM NOW IS TO IMPROVE...

24 Aug 2026 - Coventry Telegraph

FRANK Lampard has called their opening day defeat against Arsenal a ‘learning curve’ but not a season defining one.

Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka scored in the first half before Martin Odegaard added a third as the Gunners – who last season ended their 22-year wait for the Premier League crown – cruised to all three points on Friday night.

Coventry were back playing in the Premier League for the first time in a quarter of a century and manager Lampard hailed his side’s resilience after they conceded three times in 49 minutes.

“It was a tough game against a high-level opposition,” he said.

“They were best team in the league last year and they showed it and played like it tonight. For a lot of our players, it was their Premier League debut.

“We didn’t like the result, but it can happen here and they will show that against a lot of teams.

“It is a big learning curve for the players but the lads kept going right to the end.

“The important thing for me is to remain positive because Arsenal away will not define our season, it really won’t.

“Now we have to look to see how we can improve.”

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FANS DELIGHT BUT SKY BLUES WILT UNDER FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

PREM RETURN WAS A PAINFUL ONE FOR COVENTRY

24 Aug 2026 - Coventry Telegraph

By ANDY TURNER Sky Blues Reporter

THERE was much excitement going into Coventry City’s return to top flight football for the first time since 2001 but it wasn’t long before the harsh reality of what they’re up against hit home.Coventry City supporters after their side’s defeat in the Premier League match between Arsenal and Coventry City

Arsenal raced into a two goal lead with relative ease, Kai Havertz sweeping home the first in space before Bukayo Saka tapped home from five yards for the second.

Gunners’ skipper Martin Odegaard then added a third early in the second half to secure the full three points for Mikel Arteta’s multi-million pound all-star cast.

Here are some of the things we learned from a difficult night in North London.

Welcome to the Prem

Few gave newly-promoted Coventry a cat in hell’s chance against the reigning Premier League champions ahead of the game. And if we’re perfectly honest, most Sky Blues fans will have watched on more in hope than expectation as they were given a stark reminder as to the step up from Championship football.

Falling 2-0 behind inside the opening 23 minutes, some will have feared an embarrassing hammering but while the end result was comprehensive, it was certainly no disgrace against a side who beat Manchester City by the same scoreline the week before.

Although there was a clear gulf in class on the night, City got the toughest of starts out of the way and can look forward to completing their transfer business with a couple more choice signings and hopefully growing into the season.

City need to pick their fights

Certainly, City will need to pick their fights and next week’s CBS Arena clash with Hull will be a more even contest in which the Sky Blues will feel a pressure of a very different kind – that of knowing they really need to get three points on the board against a team battling on a level playing field.

Friday night’s match at the Emirates was a free hit, a game in which most fans, first and foremost, wanted to see their team compete and anything else would be a bonus. The players did to a certain degree but some looked a little overawed at times and later admitted to frustration that they didn’t quite adapt to the level or hit the heights to which they have become accustomed.

The two centre-backs, Bobby Thomas and Aurele Amenda, did OK as did Ellis Simms who held up the ball reasonably well on occasions, while looking strong and powerful in difficult circumstances.

But this was one of those occasions when many just had to hold up their hands, learn from the experience and look at where they can do better next time they face such outstanding quality in every department.

Stats and regrets

If the players do have any regrets it may be that they started sluggishly and didn’t impose themselves more on the few occasions they did get in the opposition half for more than a handful of passes. But it’s very difficult to do that effectively when you’re constantly on the back foot without

the ball. Arsenal’s wide men, Christos Tzolis and Bukayo Saka possess so much quality that Brandon Thomas-asante and Loum Tchaouna were forced back to help the full-backs. And if the Gunners weren’t making in-road on the flanks, they had Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard exploiting the time and space afforded to them in the centre – the home side popping the ball about with ease.

City’s stats don’t make for pleasant reading, managing just four attempts on goal and only one on target, while touches in the opposition box amounted to a measly four. But that will improve and it’s against the lesser teams in the division that we’ll really be able to judge what is very much a team that’s a work-in-progress.

Bigger picture and perspective

Forget the result, this was a special night for Coventry City Football

Club, back in the Premier League after a quarter of a century. Walking out onto the world stage instilled a feeling of huge pride for all connected to the club. This is what we all wanted, to rub shoulders with English football’s elite in front of a global audience and the reality is that it’s going to be a tough and challenging season. City’s campaign won’t be defined by one result at Arsenal and it’s all about what happens next, how the players grow and adapt to the level in the coming weeks and months.

Many of the new signings are still bedding in to a side that is still considerably short on Premier League experience – only four in the squad having played there before in Frank Onyeka and Loum Tchaouna who started the game, and Taiwo Awoniyi and Gus Hamer who went on as late subs.

We all know what Hamer is capable of and Lampard is convinced that striker Awoniyi will be an important player for the club once he’s built up his match minutes.

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HOW THEY RATED

24 Aug 2026 - Coventry Telegraph

With Brian Dick

SKY BLUES 4-1-4-1 

CARL RUSHWORTH:

Regrettable touch out for the second goal but looked weak and off-balance for the third. An unconvincing start to his permanent Sky Blues career. 4.5

MILAN VAN EWIJK: Quickly learned he can’t take liberties with Premier League opponents, sloppy for the first goal. Found Tzolis too much to handle in the first half and sometimes over-run in the second. 4.5

BOBBY THOMAS: Didn’t make any errors, won his share of aerials and reacted quickly after Rushworth spilled form Tzolis. Not a bad showing 6.5 AURELE AMENDA: A baptism of fire for the Swiss centre-back - and to be fair he did OK. Some neat distribution and a good block on White’s shot. 6.5

JAY DASILVA: Like van Ewijk on the opposite side had his hands full with his winger. Had a tough evening. 5

MATT GRIMES: Completed the Championship as the best No. 6 in the league for years. This is a different proposition, he had none of the control we’re used to seeing from him. Hardly surprising given how little ball City had. 5 FRANK ONYEKA: Just didn’t get to grips with this match at all. Poor when he did have the ball and looked over-awed when he didn’t. Allowed Odegaard to run off him for the second. 4.5

CALEB YIRENKYI: A bright display against Monaco raised expectations but this was step up for the youngster who never really got close to the Arsenal midfield. Taken off after an hour. 5 LOUM 

TCHAOUNA: Flashed one or two moments of promise - but that was it. Not an evening for the Sky Blues attackers to thrill. 5.5 

BRANDON THOMAS-ASANTE: Spent most of his evening helping out Dasilva with Saka. City didn’t give him much to work with and the sraps of possession he did have came to nought. 5

ELLIS SIMMS: When City lumped it forward to the target man he did pretty well against the Gunners’ central defenders. One surging run near half-time was his highlight. 6

SUBSTITUTES 

VICTOR TORP (for Yirenkyi, 62): Did well, lovely cross for Rudoni late on. 6

TAIWO AWONIYI: (for Simms, 70): Not much to do.

JACK RUDONI: (for Simms 70): Should have scored with a free header.

GUS HAMER: (for Tchaouna 83). 

Substitutes not used: 

Wilson (GK), Latibeaudiere, Kitching, Eccles, Sakamoto.

ARSENAL: Raya; White, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori (Hincapie 81); Odegaard (Merino 76), Rice (Zubimendi 68), Lewis-skelly; Saka (Madueke 68), Havertz, Tzolis (Eze 76). Not used: Arrizabalaga, Dowman, Gyokeres, Nwaneri. GOALS: K. Havertz (15), Saka (23). Odegaard (49) – Arsenal. BOOKINGS: Yirenkyi – Sky Blues; Gabriel – Arsenal.

REFEREE: Thomas Bramall NEXT UP: v Plymouth Argyle (away), Carabao Cup, tomorrow, 7.45pm.

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Pundits back new boys to stay in league

24 Aug 2026 - Coventry Telegraph

By ABBIE MEEHAN

COVENTRY City have been backed to stay in the Premier League this season following their promotion to the top-flight.

Frank Lampard guided the Sky Blues to the Championship title last year to end a 25-year exile from the top tier. They have splashed also the cash this summer, spending £130million on new additions including Carl Rushworth, Frank Onyeka, Sidiki Cherif, Aurele Amenda, Caleb Yirenkyi. Loum Tchaouna, Taiwo Awoniyi, Gustavo Hamer, and Dan Bentley

Here, the Coventry Telegraph rounds up seven of the biggest takes from pundits predicting the Sky Blues chances in the top-flight.

Jill Scott and Roy Keane - Stay up

On the Stick to Football podcast, Jill Scott revealed that her ‘hot take’ for the new season was that Coventry would stay up. She said: “Yeah, I’ve got a hot take. Coventry to stay up.”

Roy Keane was in total agreement as the former Manchester United man jokingly tried to steal the opinion. He added: “I’d agree. I’m going to go with Coventry. I’m just saying I back it up. I do like the Coventry one with them staying up. I was going to go with that one, but Jill can have that.”

Nicky Butt - Relegated

Nicky Butt was one of the only pundits playing down Coventry’s chances in the top-flight. During the latest episode of The Good, The Bad & The Football, he said: “I just think the gaps that big, the money’s that big.

“I know they’re spending a bit of money. But it’s impossible to compete with the teams that are above them I think. I hope I’m wrong because I like to see a team come up and do well.

“For me, I just don’t think that the level of those players will be able to compete in the Premier League, and that might sound really disrespectful. I’m not trying to be, I’m just being open. I don’t think they’re good enough. I don’t think they’re good enough.”

Paul Scholes and Michael Owen - Stay up

On the same podcast episode as Butt, Paul Scholes and Michael Owen were more positive about the Sky Blues’ fate in the Premier

League. Scholes said: “I think Frank’s experience of the Premier League might help him. They’ve spent more than [Manchester] United, Coventry, as well.

“I know it doesn’t always make the difference but yeah. I always think when the teams are coming up, if you can’t score goals, you’re struggling. Think you’ve got to be able to score. And I think Frank’s team will score goals. I know they did it in the Championship and it was entertaining. They looked like they could score all the time.”

Agreeing with his former United team-mate, Owen added: “I think Coventry could scrape out of it [relegation]. I think they could be all right.”

Jeff Stelling - Stay up

Iconic Soccer Saturday star Jeff Stelling placed Coventry 15th in his Premier League table predictions, believing that Lampard has chosen his new signings with the idea of staying up in mind.

He said: “Coventry... spent a lot of money - not on a huge number of players actually. They’ve chosen quality over quantity. Scored a lot of set-plays last season and that could be big for them again this season.”

Ben Foster - Stay up

Ben Foster also backed Coventry to retain their Premier League status during an episode of his Fozcast podcast. The former Wrexham goalkeeper said: “I think Cov have got a decent chance of staying up. I really do. I think they’ve just got a bit more.

“They’ve obviously steamrolled the Championship last season, better than anybody else, but they’ve made some decent signings. They’ve given it a go. They’re spending money on players.

“I just think with Frank Lampard as well and all the goodwill around the city and the team and the optimism, I think they could be the ones to cause a shock. I don’t think it’s going to be easy, but I do think they can stay up.”