Championship talking points: Confidence could be the issue for Frank Lampard's Coventry as Ipswich crank up the pressure

The last time I went to watch Coventry, the question the fans were asking was: "Will we get promoted in February, March or April?", such was their dominance, alongside their strength in depth and gap at the top of the Championship.

It feels like a very different question right now.

Yes, it's still 10 wins in their last 12 home games but the bigger picture is slightly different. They've won four of their last 13 in the league and, on Monday, could slip from top spot for the first time since October 18.

But let's be honest, they still have a top coach, great players and strength in depth. The problem? Nerves? Confidence? Belief? Whatever it is, they need to find that spark they had a few weeks ago and bring it back, sharpish.

The atmosphere was very different from my last visit to the Coventry Building Society Arena at the end of November. Even walking around the stadium, the buzz had gone, the belief that this was finally their year wasn't there. There were more fingers crossed than smiles, there was an anxiety in the air.

The performance was good, they did everything right - they put Oxford under pressure, had 74 per cent possession and 24 shots, but they just couldn't score. Surely that's just a confidence issue?

That said, Oxford defended brilliantly and epitomised what good defending is; bodies on the line, a desire to not concede and a passion to make that block. Leaving with a point against a side top of the league will be seen as a big positive for them.

Promotion for Coventry? Put the champagne on ice, it might be a bumpy few months ahead.

The good thing is they have a head coach in Frank Lampard who knows all about pressure. He played with it for his whole career. From the moment Harry Redknapp declared: "He's going right to the very top", there was a spotlight on him.