Frank Lampard has described his management style as a blend of two of football's most celebrated coaches — Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti — drawing on lessons learned from both men during his playing days at Chelsea.

"Jose and Carlo are like both sides of the coin," the Coventry City manager told BBC Sport. "Jose 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. I'm probably somewhere in the middle."

Lampard, 48, won the Premier League and FA Cup under both Mourinho and Ancelotti at Chelsea. He says the contrast between their personalities continues to shape how he handles players day-to-day at Coventry.

Knowing when to be Jose and when to be Carlo

The Coventry boss explained that experience has taught him to read the room rather than defaulting to one approach. "I start to sometimes go towards being Jose, sometimes I go and be a bit more Carlo," he said.

"Young managers come in and feel like they have to criticise a bad performance or call out an individual who 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 if people are on the pitch not doing their job, sometimes you've got a bit more Jose."

Promotion 'up there' with his greatest achievements

Lampard guided Coventry to the Championship title last season with 95 points, earning promotion to the Premier League for the first time in 25 years. He took charge in November 2024 and transformed the club into dominant force in the second division.

As a player, Lampard's honours list is remarkable — three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups, the UEFA Europa League, and the UEFA Champions League in 2012. Yet he places last season's promotion alongside those career highs.

"Winning in Munich was the best footballing night of my life as a player by far," Lampard said, recalling Chelsea's UEFA Champions League triumph. "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 — I've never experienced, especially as a coach, to have such a good group. When we got promoted against Blackburn, I had a rush of pure emotion. It certainly goes right up there in things I've managed to achieve."

Not chasing doubters — just aiming to be brave

Before his success at Coventry, Lampard's managerial record was uneven. He reached the Championship play-off final with Derby before stints at Chelsea and Everton both ended in the sack — dismissed from Stamford Bridge in January 2021 and from Goodison Park in January 2023.

He told musician and Sky Blues fan Tom Grennan, who conducted the interview, that proving doubters wrong is not what motivates him. "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 and you'd be making different decisions."

Coventry opened the new Premier League season with a 3-0 defeat to champions Arsenal. Lampard insists his side will approach every fixture with confidence rather than fear. "Let's stick our chests out and let's be brave about it," he said. "These boys have earned where they've got to, so go in with that attitude."