Lampard: Mourinho changed my coaching philosophy, and we must face the challenge head-on.

Frank Lampard appeared on talkSPORT Drive to discuss the impact of José Mourinho on his coaching career.

Frank Lampard's Coventry City will face champions Arsenal away in the first round.

Host: We're thrilled to announce that "Super Frank" has joined us. Frank, how are you, bro?

Lampard: Good afternoon, and thank you for inviting me.

Host: Frank, facing this big match against Arsenal, are you excited, nervous, or just want to finish the first game as soon as possible?

Lampard: Yes, I'm excited. I think we're all very excited. We have our own story, having not played in the top flight for 25 years. The team performed exceptionally well last year, and the players have brought us here.

Now the reality is real, especially seeing that our first match is away against Arsenal, which makes it feel even more real, because they are the undisputed champions. However, we must focus on ourselves and face the challenge head-on. You know, you'll be playing these top teams away from home all season, and the sooner the better. We're still in the early stages of the season, so we just need to be as well-prepared as possible and play with confidence. I don't want the players to be intimidated by our opponents; they deserve to play in the top flight of English football. We're going to challenge for the title, and hopefully, we can give our best performance.

Host: Frank, how's the preseason preparation going? Your signings have been excellent; you've brought in some very good players and retained some important players from last season, which is fantastic. Are you satisfied with your preparations?

Lampard: Yes, it's going well. It's really good. I don't think it's been an easy process. We secured promotion quite early, and because we got promoted early, and this season started even later, it was difficult to do much in the summer transfer window. We know we want to help the squad, to improve the squad, but it's not easy to accomplish that in the summer.

Those months were quiet, especially during the World Cup. So we could only wait, wait for some players to return. We were really looking forward to their arrival and hoped to get the squad in the shape we wanted. We trained hard with the players; they came back relatively early and did a lot of physical and recovery training, typical preseason preparation.

Over the past two or three weeks, with the arrival of new signings, we have been able to refine our tactics more effectively, clarify how we want to play and how we want to cope with this season. We first establish our overall strategy, and then make specific preparations against Arsenal, because we know what kind of challenge this will be.

I think the players are in good shape, training well, and full of anticipation. So, Friday is coming up, and this kind of game is perfect for starting the season.

Host: Frank, how do you balance these two things: on the one hand, trusting the players who brought you to the top flight of English football, and on the other hand, understanding that to stay at this level and compete with the top teams, you need even stronger players?

Lampard: Yes, that's a good question, Mike, because we've all seen this from the outside. It's not easy, and you have to be very strategic. You have to do your best to give this roster the best chance. I'll say it again, we have a mission to accomplish, and that is to compete hard.

We all understand that the English top flight is at this level; it's the best league in the world. The question is whether we can maintain the unity and fighting spirit we had last season, and on that basis, add some quality, help the players, and take us to the level we want to reach. Frankly, the team atmosphere is great, both for the players who stayed and the new signings. The new players integrated quickly, and the overall environment certainly feels good. Once the league starts, the real challenges will be there, but from a preparation perspective, I'm very satisfied with our current form.

There's still a little time left in the transfer window, but the games are about to start, which is great. We've played enough preseason friendlies, and we're ready to go into the real competition.

Host: Frank, I know you'd rather focus on your own team, but I guess you'd have a lot of confidence from Sunderland and Leeds United's performances last season, especially Sunderland.

Lampard: I know it's remarkable to achieve promotion to the European zone in your first season, but in the seasons before that, we've seen newly promoted teams often get relegated immediately. However, seeing what happened last season should give you a lot of confidence.

Yes, that's true, Bent. I think that's a good reference point for us because we played Sunderland in the semi-finals the previous year, so we know what they were like back then. Looking at them from a distance last year, you can see what they achieved.

Throughout the summer, my coaching staff and I studied many teams like the ones you mentioned—those that stayed in the top flight after being promoted, or those that may not be the most financially powerful in the league but always exceed expectations. I think Sunderland has been excellent in the transfer market; they've been proactive and have made signings to strengthen the positions they needed.