Frank Lampard’s classy message to Matthias Jaissle ahead of Coventry vs Newcastle

Frank Lampard has delivered a classy message to Matthias Jaissle ahead of Newcastle United’s trip to Coventry City, praising the new head coach’s approach and acknowledging the challenge of implementing a new philosophy at St James’ Park.

The Toon travel to the CBS Arena tonight looking to build on a 2-1 victory over Hull City before the international break, while Coventry arrive having beaten Nottingham Forest 1-0 in their last outing. 

Lampard praises Jaissle’s approach

Lampard has been impressed by what he has seen from Jaissle since the German’s arrival on Tyneside, recognising similarities between his approach and the energetic, physically demanding football Newcastle became known for under Eddie Howe.

Speaking ahead of the 8pm kick-off tonight, the Coventry boss said:

“I’ve seen elements of what he’s trying to bring and how he speaks about what he wants to bring, the style that he wants to show with his team.”

“I think he came into a team with a manager who did a fantastic job in Eddie Howe. Whenever I’ve been up there to play against Eddie Howe’s team, the energy and the speed and the team and the physical power of the team as well as the qualities was always difficult to play against.

“I think the manager is along the same vein in terms of trying to bring energy and vertical football, etc., how he puts it. I understand it.

“I wish him well in the job because he’s a young manager and these jobs are challenging and there’s a lot of opinion and a lot of scrutiny in what we all do. So, I wish him well for that fact.

“It’s not easy to come in and I think he came in quite late even in pre-season to come and be expected to ‘here’s my philosophy and this is what it looks like’. That’s not easy for anybody. I think there’ll be some time with that but he’s obviously a very talented manager.”

It is a respectful assessment from Lampard, who understands the pressure that comes with managing a Premier League club and the time required to establish a clear identity.

Jaissle has already spoken about his desire to implement a more vertical, aggressive style at Newcastle, although the late arrival and limited pre-season preparation have inevitably made that process more challenging.

The start of a winnable run 

Tonight’s trip to Coventry feels like an important opportunity for Newcastle to build momentum after a stop-start opening to the campaign.

Four of Newcastle’s next five Premier League fixtures are against teams currently in the bottom half of the table, including sides sitting 20th (Fulham), 19th (Coventry) and 15th (Aston Villa), with Palace and Everton also to come. 

With a number of key players returning from injury and a favourable sequence of fixtures ahead, this is a period we need to make count.

A victory tonight would see us climb to fourth in the Premier League table, handing us the incentive to turn a solid start to the season into a very good one. 

After a lengthy international break, we have the chance to make a statement, make it back to back wins and build on that victory over Hull three weeks ago. HWTL.