Rooney previews Boxing Day trip to Coventry

For some people, Boxing Day is Frank Lampard v Wayne Rooney. Wayne Rooney is not one of those people.  

There is a natural hype to Argyle’s festive trip to Coventry, as the men in the dugouts combine for 226 England caps, 82 England goals, 587 career goals, nine Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues.  

There you are, we are doing it now. It is hard not to get dragged into making the game about the bosses but, much like when Rooney faced Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough on Saturday, the Argyle Head Coach would rather the focus was on the field. 

“It was exactly the same on Saturday, with me and Michael,” he said. “Of course that will be there, but it's Coventry against Argyle. It's about the two clubs, not about the two managers.” 

The form of each side is interesting to unpick. In Lampard’s short time at Coventry, he has overseen two wins, two losses and a draw. The most recent result was a 4-1 loss at struggling Portsmouth, a reverse that Rooney thinks may fire Coventry up. This, in turn, is something the Greens need to watch out for.  

“They're a good team,” said Rooney. “They've had a mixed bag of results since Frank's been in there. The last game against Portsmouth, I know they'll be disappointed.  

“I know Frank really well. He'll be expecting a reaction from them on Thursday in front of their fans, so we have to be ready for them to come at us with a quick start and we have to be aware because, if they do that with the atmosphere they create there, it can become difficult.” 

For Argyle’s own part, they will be looking to build on the last two games, which have yielded excellent performances, even if results have not followed. The Pilgrims were admirable in defeat at leaders Sheffield United, before drawing 3-3 with Middlesbrough in a game Argyle led three times.  

Now, they head to Coventry and then to Oxford United, seeking a first win on the road of the season.  

“Over the last week or 10 days, performances have certainly improved,” said Wayne. “I thought Saturday was a very good performance from an attacking point of view. I thought we were really good, just a little bit disappointed with the goals we conceded; a bit of naivety I felt, from our point of view.  

“Certainly, there were a lot of positives in the performance against a very good team, and it gives us confidence going into the game against Coventry. 

“I love this period over Christmas. It’s great to be involved in football over Christmas and for the fans, it's a festive period.  

“I know a lot of families, a lot of supporters enjoy the Christmas period - and you enjoy it more if you win, so it's a good challenge for us the next two games, both away from home and hopefully we can go and get that first win of the season away.”