Steve Cooper’s Leicester City Criticism Is Overblown After Four Games, But Challenges May Lie Ahead

Leicester City’s start to the Premier League season has been a mixed bag, depending on expectations.

The first four games have left fans with varied thoughts on the team’s performance.

Leicester opened with an entertaining draw at home to Tottenham but followed that up with back-to-back 2-1 defeats to Fulham and Aston Villa.

In Steve Cooper’s first three games in charge, the team competed well, especially in the two home games, where they arguably deserved better results.

Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace provided another tough lesson in the realities of Premier League football.

Leicester dominated the first half and deserved their lead, winning midfield battles, showing physicality, and causing problems for players like Marc Guehi.

Stephy Mavididi’s goal put them 2-0 ahead early in the second half, but the draw felt like a defeat by the final whistle.

Some have criticized Cooper’s “negative” tactics to defend the lead, and bizarrely, a few have already called for his dismissal.

While everyone is entitled to an opinion, questioning the manager’s ability to keep Leicester in the Premier League after just four games seems premature.

Leicester should aim to use their creativity more and adopt an attacking mindset, but as Cooper explained, sometimes you must adapt to the situation.

When Crystal Palace replaced defenders with attackers, including taking off Nathaniel Clyne and Daniel Munoz for Daichi Kamada and Ismaila Sarr, Leicester faced a 3-5-3 formation with eight or nine players attacking.

There’s only so much flexibility a team can maintain in such circumstances.

Leicester’s inability to hold possession in Palace’s half—just four touches—is a concern.

If defending a lead, the team must improve their build-up play to relieve pressure and push forward.

Saturday was a learning experience for the squad.

This week, Everton visits the King Power Stadium, and despite it being early in the season, it’s a crucial game.

A win would give Leicester breathing room above the relegation zone, but a loss would be a setback.

Everton, on the other hand, has lost all four of their Premier League matches so far, blowing a 2-0 lead in the last two.