Cooper Realizes One Mistake Leicester City Must Avoid Repeating After Fulham Defeat – Opinion
Leicester City Suffer First Premier League Defeat of the Season Against Fulham on Saturday.
Steve Cooper nearly had a perfect start as Leicester City manager last week.
Despite a shaky pre-season, the Foxes were expected to be outclassed by a high-scoring Tottenham Hotspur in their opening Premier League game.
Pedro Porro put Spurs ahead in the 29th minute, seemingly setting the stage for a dominant performance.
However, Leicester held firm, and a Jamie Vardy equalizer secured a 1-1 draw.
It was an impressive performance from the newly-promoted team, with several players standing out.
Steve Cooper’s Tactical Error Cost Leicester City Against Fulham
On August 24th, Leicester traveled to Craven Cottage, hopeful of securing a win after their draw with Tottenham.
However, Marco Silva’s Fulham side claimed a 2-1 victory, largely due to a costly tactical error by Cooper.
After deploying a 4-2-3-1 formation against Tottenham, Cooper inexplicably switched to a back-five against Fulham.
Although having five defenders might seem like a defensive boost, it backfired. Fulham exploited Leicester’s wide areas, with wing-backs Victor Kristiansen and Fatawu struggling.
How Steve Cooper Can Correct His Leicester City Tactical Mistake
Cooper’s decision was puzzling but can be easily corrected before their next match. Leicester should revert to the four-back formation they used against Tottenham and make adjustments in defense.
Kristiansen could stay at left-back, while Fatawu should be pushed further upfield.
James Justin should take the right-back position in a back four, or alternatively, Ricardo Pereira could be given his first start of the season.
Switching back to a four-man defense would also strengthen Leicester’s midfield, where they were outnumbered in their recent loss.
