Frank Lampard issues Derby County and John Eustace verdict as he returns to where it all began

Frank Lampard was impressed with the job John Eustace did at Derby County last season and says his Coventry City team face a "tough" examination.

The two clubs lock horns in the Championship on Saturday (12.30pm kick-off) when Lampard returns to his old stamping ground where he enjoyed an immensely successful spell as Derby boss in 2019 when they just missed out on promotion to the Premier League.

He is now trying to enjoy further success with Coventry and will be targeting a promotion push this term after losing out to Sunderland in the play-offs last season.

But he accepts Coventry will face a difficult proposition against a Derby team coached by John Eustace, who kept the Rams in the second-tier last season when many felt they were doomed.

And Lampard knows from his own experience that Derby at Pride Park are a difficult team to beat.

“It was a good period and I enjoyed my year there. We were very close to promotion," said Lampard about his time at Pride Park.

“Going into it, it was my first job and the squad and the work we had to do, I think it was a great challenge for myself, for the staff that were with me and for the players.

“I enjoyed being at the club. It's a very big club with a very good support, as we do of course, so it's going to be a tough match.

“It’s their first home match and they are a team that have brought in a lot of players, a team that the manager will have had some time now to sort of enforce his ideas and style and how he wants to be with them.

"John came in did a really good job to keep him in the league last year. He made them difficult to beat, a team with a lot of passion and desire, and that kind of reflects with the home crowd they'll have tomorrow, so we have to be ready for a tough match.”

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