The Football Interview airs on BBC One at 12:45 every Saturday throughout the Premier League season, and is also available on BBC iPlayer, BBC Football’s YouTube channel, and the BBC Sport website and app.
Episode two of the new season, out on Saturday 29 August, features musician Tom Grennan in conversation with Coventry City manager Frank Lampard.
During his playing days, Lampard worked with some of the game’s most renowned managers, including Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Guus Hiddink and Rafael Benitez — as well as his uncle, Harry Redknapp.
Now eight years into management, the Coventry City boss says Mourinho and Ancelotti have been the biggest influences on his approach.
He told BBC Sport that Mourinho and Ancelotti represent two sides of the same coin.
Mourinho, he explained, was demanding and projected immense self-belief, making his authority felt when standards slipped. Ancelotti, by contrast, brought a calm, relaxed presence that fostered trust. Lampard said he tries to take elements from both and place himself somewhere in the middle.
Lampard played under both managers at Chelsea, winning the Premier League and FA Cup with each.
As he targets further success with Coventry, he believes the key is striking a balance between their styles.
At times, he leans more towards Mourinho’s intensity; at others, he adopts Ancelotti’s measured calm.
He added that, early in a coaching career, it can feel necessary to call out poor performances or lateness, but experience has taught him to remember players are human.
Sometimes a late arrival has a backstory, he said, and that’s when a more Ancelotti-like empathy helps. But when standards drop on the pitch, a firmer, more Mourinho-like stance can be required.