Steve Cooper Likely Concerned by Leicester City Star’s 66% Duel Loss Rate Against Nottingham Forest

Leicester City aimed to secure their third consecutive win under manager Steve Cooper as they faced Nottingham Forest.

Before the game at the King Power Stadium, Cooper thrilled fans with some exciting lineup decisions, choosing to start Abdul Fatawu and Harry Winks, who had impressed during the recent comeback victory over Southampton.

Leicester began the match on a positive note. Although Forest’s Ryan Yates opened the scoring in the 16th minute, Jamie Vardy quickly equalized in the 23rd minute, and Leicester’s overall first-half performance was solid.

However, the game turned against them in the second half, and Leicester suffered a 3-1 defeat, with some players struggling under the pressure of the evening encounter.

One of the night’s underperformers was center-back Wout Faes.

After a series of solid appearances for Leicester, Facundo Buonanotte’s vulnerabilities were exposed by Forest, and James Justin also struggled, particularly on the left flank. But Faes had an especially difficult outing.

The Belgian center-back committed a costly error under pressure from Forest striker Chris Wood, leading directly to a goal.

Post-match statistics from Sofascore further highlighted Faes’ struggles.

He received a team-low rating of 5.9, lost 66% of his duels, surrendered possession eight times, failed to block any shots or make a tackle, and was dribbled past twice.

Notably, his error contributed to Forest’s goal, underscoring a challenging performance for the defender.

Considering the defensive issues, Cooper may need to reevaluate Faes’ position in the starting lineup.

Despite Leicester conceding three goals, Faes’ center-back partner, Caleb Okoli, performed reasonably well and could retain his place moving forward.

Following the loss, Leicester now risk slipping to 16th in the Premier League standings, which could place them just three points from the relegation zone.

They face a tough League Cup match against Manchester United on Wednesday before returning to league action against Ipswich Town, another crucial fixture.

Ipswich currently sit just one point above the bottom three, making the match a potential must-win for Leicester to avoid further decline.

In light of this, Cooper might consider replacing Faes with a more experienced option, like Conor Coady, for the Ipswich match.

Coady’s defensive prowess and experience could stabilize Leicester’s backline in a game that holds significant importance for their Premier League campaign.