6 Championship predictions after the break: Lampard’s comeback and Coventry’s record chase
The Championship has returned! However, because of another international break, it will be gone again in three weeks.
Following the recent depressing international time, football fans throughout are celebrating the return of normal football, and we will all be relieved when 2025’s final break—that is, November’s manager sacking season—is over.
Each of the six Championship gameweeks that are packed into a condensed three-week period before that is more dramatic than the last, and every kick of it is extremely important to someone.
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Therefore, before the next international break begins on November 10, we felt it would be prudent to offer some predictions about six things that will most likely happen (or not) in the Championship.
Wrexham will be placed in the relegation zone
In the upcoming weeks, Wrexham might easily overtake Sheffield United in the bottom there.
Although they are only five points off of the play-off spots, the serial drawers have only lost once since August, but three consecutive draws have caused them to drop into the relegation zone.
With a tough schedule of games against Stoke City, Middlesbrough, and Coventry City, as well as potentially crucial early-season matches against Oxford United and Charlton that will determine their place in the Championship, Phil Parkinson’s team has good cause to be cautious.
Given how much credit he has in the bank, it is premature to sentence Parkinson to sack.
But because of his straightforward and unattractive style, his finest work has been in the lower divisions, so there has always been concern that he would be caught off guard during Wrexham’s rise.
A protracted period of suffering is necessary to ensure his departure, but this might be in the post since he is not getting the most out of his team after spending a hefty £33 million in the summer.
Leicester City is about to start their journey out of the promotion battle
Because of their off-field problems and the constant fear of a points deduction, Leicester was predicted to be the worst of the three demoted teams going into this season.
Even so, Ipswich Town (9th) and Southampton (17th) are lingering below them, making Marti Cifuentes’ squad the only relegated team in the top six right now.
However, this is not the complete picture. Because they have relied so heavily on specific game-changing moments to get results, the Foxes are among the Championship’s top overperformers on xG this season, and this can only get them so far.
Leicester’s team has a lot of quality, but Ipswich and Southampton have better player groups, therefore they should eventually pass the Foxes.
If they receive a points deduction, they will most certainly start to lose ground in the upcoming weeks and will no longer be considered for promotion.
Sheffield United will move up from the bottom three
After the unnecessary turmoil in the summer, the Blades are primarily to blame for their status as this season’s biggest early underperformers in the Championship.
The fact that club officials approved Chris Wilder’s return for a third stint as manager and rightfully discarded the unsuccessful Ruben Selles venture early raised concerns since I believe his most recent attempt at a comeback is likely to fail.
With one victory and three losses in his four games as manager, Wilder has not yet inspired a notable improvement in Sheffield United’s performance or results.
But if you’re a Blades fan, there’s definitely cause for optimism because Sheff United’s defeats to Charlton, Southampton, and Hull City were close, and they were undoubtedly the superior team in at least two of these games.
Sheff United’s team is considerably above the level of a relegation contender, yet they are performing terribly on their xG this season. This will ultimately even out to some extent.
The Blades could be out of the bottom three in the next three weeks thanks to a respectable run of games that includes home games against Watford and Derby County as well as an upcoming away trip to Blackburn Rovers.
Norwich City is going to fire Liam Manning
When Norwich City spent £25 million on new players in the summer, there was a lot of expectation that they would contend for promotion.
However, these hopes were quickly crushed. The Canaries have now fallen down the table, suggesting that they overspent on their star recruits.
Before the international break, they suffered a devastating 3-1 loss to bitter rivals Ipswich Town, extending their losing streak to five games.
As the overwhelming choice to be the next Championship manager fired, Liam Manning, a respected coach who has excelled throughout stints at Bristol City, Oxford United, and MK Dons, will need to find solutions fast if he is to save himself.
Manning is not the only person under investigation; Ben Knapper, the director of football, is also coming under fire for Norwich’s transfer policy. If there isn’t an unexpected, quick improvement, the manager will be the one reprimanded first.
Coventry City under Frank Lampard will set a new record
Lampard deserves all the credit. After his humiliating second tenure in the Chelsea dugout, many of his detractors dismissed his management abilities outright, and Coventry was criticised for selecting him to succeed Mark Robins.
However, during the most recent international break, he transformed Coventry City from a relegation challenger to the Championship leaders, demonstrating that he was an inspired choice.
He is unquestionably a very good manager in the second division, which is more than can be said for fellow former greats Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney.
Coventry has won their last three league games with an overall score of 12-0, making them the clear favourite in the Championship thus far this season.
I am betting on Coventry to end their record winning streak of six games by defeating Blackburn Rovers, Portsmouth, Watford, and Wrexham in their next four games because they have clicked in every aspect and appear to be a tremendous force under Lampard.
Given their attitude prior to the international break and the upcoming games that may be won, this is undoubtedly attainable.
But now that I’ve said that, congratulations to Coventry for losing to Blackburn 1-0 on Saturday after failing to meet the first hurdle.
Ipswich Town will get back to its best and finish in the top six
Since they have assembled an all-star team of second-tier players in previous windows and may have the finest manager at this level, the Tractor Boys were many people’s preseason favourites to win the Championship.
Their two significant summer departures were Liam Delap and Omari Hutchinson. Nevertheless, Ipswich struggled to win their first five games this season before gaining momentum in a 5-0 victory over Sheffield United.
Even after losing 2-1 to promotion rivals Middlesbrough on Friday, Kieran McKenna’s team has already bounced back with two more wins and a tie, so it wouldn’t be shocking if they found their rhythm during this forthcoming stretch of games.
It seems inevitable that Ipswich will at least finish in the play-off spots this season since they have all the necessary components, and McKenna’s squad may be the most qualified to challenge the current leaders.
