Frank Lampard explains decision to drop ‘best’ defensive duo in division ahead of selection problem
Coventry City news from CoventryLive as Frank Lampard faces a big selection decision at the back
13:33, 09 Feb 2026Updated 13:35, 09 Feb 2026
Frank Lampard says Coventry City’s Bobby Thomas and Liam Kitching are the best central defensive partnership in the division, in his opinion
Coventry City boss Frank Lampard has explained his decision to drop what he considers to be the best central defensive partnership in the Championship.
The Sky Blues head coach swapped his first choice central defenders Bobby Thomas and Liam Kitching for Luke Woolfenden and Joel Latibeaudiere against Oxford United at the weekend following a dip in form and failure to keep a clean sheet in seven league games.
Woolfenden and Latibeaudiere helped keep a shut out against the U’s albeit City not exactly tested against the second from bottom relegation scrappers who managed just four attempts on goal, none of which were on target in the goalless draw at the CBS Arena.
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Asked for his thinking behind the selection decision and how he felt the drafted in duo did, having had to be patient in waiting for their chance this season, Lampard said: “Yeah, and they train well and sometimes players deserve to be rewarded for training well. And they’re good players, so they deserve their chance.”
He added: “In terms of Bobby and Kitch I think they’re probably, if not the best centre-halves in the league this year, they’re the best partnership in the league this year to this point in the season, in my opinion, but I think you could ask a lot of people for how they’ve played.
“But sometimes over the course of the season there are moments when you feel it’s the right thing to make a change.”
Coventry City’s Luke Woolfenden started ahead of Bobby Thomas against Oxford
Whether Woolfenden and Latibeaudiere will now be handed a run in the team and keep their places in next Monday’s huge home game against automatic promotion rivals Middlesbrough remains to be seen.
And Lampard insisted of his Saturday selection: “It doesn’t mean anything going forward. It means that the competition is good. People are training well to try to get in the team and that’s good to have those selection problems going forward. But there’s no problem and I thought the boys did well.”
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