Cooper Must Reverse a Concerning Trend to Secure His Job and Keep Leicester City Safe – Opinion
Steve Cooper Saw Saturday’s Home Game Against Everton as a Prime Chance for His First Premier League Win as Leicester City Manager.
Leicester City needed a 76th-minute goal from Stephy Mavididi to secure a point on a frustrating afternoon.
The result did little to relieve the pressure on manager Steve Cooper, whose Nottingham Forest connection already made him unpopular with a section of the Leicester fanbase.
So far this season, many Leicester supporters have been unimpressed by Cooper’s defensive tactics.
However, he set up the team more offensively against Everton, bringing in Bilal El Khannouss for Oliver Skipp, marking El Khannouss’ first start since joining the club.
Despite the attacking shift, Leicester fell behind as early as the 12th minute, deflating the atmosphere at the King Power Stadium. Cooper must address this issue if Leicester are to have any chance of staying in the Premier League.
The inability to stop conceding early goals has been a recurring problem, and Cooper needs to find a way to prevent his team from going behind so frequently.
Leicester struggled to break down Everton’s defense, and although Mavididi eventually scored after a defensive error following a Harry Winks corner, the Foxes only managed two shots on target during the entire match.
This lack of offensive spark remains a concern, especially as the team is still searching for its first win of the season.
Leicester has conceded in every match so far, leaving them with just three points after five games.
What’s more worrying is their habit of conceding first.
Leicester has fallen behind in four out of their five league games, the exception being the match against Crystal Palace, where they squandered a 2-0 lead.
The challenge for Cooper now is to stop his team from consistently giving their opponents an advantage.
Given the competitive nature of the Premier League, it is already tough to secure points, and starting games from behind only makes that task harder.
One crucial area for Leicester’s Premier League survival will be keeping clean sheets.
The team has been competitive in all its matches since returning to the top flight, with close losses to Aston Villa and Fulham, and draws against Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace, and Everton.
While no team has dominated Leicester, Cooper’s side must improve defensively if they are to secure more points.
Cooper seems to have settled on his preferred back four, with Wout Faes and Caleb Okoli forming the center-back partnership and James Justin and Victor Kristiansen at full-back.
This defensive unit will be put to the test when Leicester faces Arsenal in their next match.
Any points from that game would be a significant bonus ahead of their upcoming fixture against Bournemouth.
Securing clean sheets and improving consistency are essential for Leicester’s hopes of remaining in the Premier League.
