Eight years after stepping into management, Frank Lampard has a clearer idea of the kind of boss he wants to be — and it turns out the answer lies somewhere between two of the most decorated managers in the game's history.

Speaking to BBC Sport ahead of the second episode of The Football Interview, which airs on BBC One at 12:45 on Saturday, 29 August, the Coventry City manager reflected on the profound influence that José Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti had on him during his playing days at Chelsea.

Two sides of the same coin

Lampard worked under a string of elite coaches across his career — Guus Hiddink, Rafael Benítez and his uncle Harry Redknapp among them — but it is Mourinho and Ancelotti who loom largest when he looks back at what shaped his thinking.

"José and Carlo are like both sides of the coin," the 48-year-old said. "José was very on you, he transmitted his self-confidence, but if you stepped out of line or did something wrong, you'd feel the strength of him, whereas Carlo was chilled and calm. When you look back, you go, 'that's a nice environment to work in'. It felt like he trusted you. So I try and take little snippets. I'm probably somewhere in the middle."

Lampard won the Premier League and FA Cup under both managers at Stamford Bridge, giving him a first-hand appreciation of how two radically different temperaments can produce the same winning results. The challenge now, he says, is knowing which register to reach for in the moment.

"I start to sometimes go towards being José, sometimes I go and be a bit more Carlo," he explained. "I've learnt that young managers, you come in and feel like you have to criticise a bad performance or say something about an individual that turns up late. The more I've done this job, I realise that they're all humans. Sometimes a lad comes in late, you don't know the back story. But then if you're a bit more relaxed sometimes and people are on the pitch, not doing their job, sometimes you've got a bit more José."

Proving doubters wrong — but not at any cost

Lampard's managerial record before arriving at Coventry City in November 2024 was, by his own admission, a mixed one. He reached the Championship play-off final with Derby County in 2019, losing to Aston Villa, before two troubled Premier League stints: 18 months at Chelsea ending with his sacking in January 2021, and less than a year at Everton before being dismissed in January 2023.

What followed, however, has reframed the conversation. Lampard guided Coventry to the Championship title last season with an impressive 95 points, finishing 11 points clear of second-placed Ipswich Town and ending the club's 25-year absence from the top flight. Yet he is careful not to let vindication become an obsession.

"You've got to be careful trying to prove every doubter wrong, because it's not possible," he said. "My personal ambition to prove any doubters wrong is sort of always there, but I try not to let that be my driver. I can't get ahead of myself and I can't worry too much about the outside world because otherwise you succumb to it — you'd be making different decisions."

Promotion ranks alongside Champions League glory

As a player, Lampard amassed a remarkable collection of honours — three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups, the Europa League and, most memorably, the Champions League in Munich in 2012. Yet he places last season's achievement with Coventry in the same emotional territory.

"When you get promoted, it's hard to balance against winning the Champions League with Chelsea," he admitted. "Winning in Munich was the best footballing night of my life as a player by far. But then when you do something with a club that's been through what it's been through, when you work with a group of lads that are so great as a dressing room — when we got promoted against Blackburn, I had a rush of pure emotion."

With Coventry back in the Premier League and Lampard determined to approach the challenge without the weight of outside expectations, the Sky Blues faithful will be hoping that blend of Mourinho steel and Ancelotti calm is exactly the right formula for life back in the top flight.

Frequently asked

Who are Frank Lampard's main managerial influences?
Lampard has cited José Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti as the two biggest influences on his management style, having played under both at Chelsea. He describes himself as sitting somewhere between Mourinho's intensity and Ancelotti's calm, trusting approach.
How did Coventry City win promotion to the Premier League?
Frank Lampard guided Coventry City to the Championship title in the 2024-25 season, accumulating 95 points and finishing 11 points clear of second-placed Ipswich Town. It ended the club's 25-year absence from the top flight.
What is Frank Lampard's managerial record before Coventry?
Lampard started his managerial career at Derby County, reaching the Championship play-off final in 2019. He then had Premier League spells at Chelsea (sacked January 2021) and Everton (sacked January 2023) before joining Coventry City in November 2024.