Key Questions Raised by Steve Cooper’s Conor Coady Substitution and What the Answers Uncover

Bringing on a centre-back to secure a lead, only for that player to concede a penalty that costs the team their first victory of the season, is bound to stir up controversy.

This is exactly what happened to Leicester City in their recent match against Crystal Palace, where they came agonizingly close to securing three points, only to leave with a draw and plenty of questions.

The penalty conceded by Conor Coady after tripping Ismaila Sarr has remained a hot topic, with much of the scrutiny directed toward manager Steve Cooper.

Many are questioning Cooper’s decision-making: Why did he introduce an extra centre-back? Is this a tactic he frequently uses? Does it even work? And will this become a recurring theme for Leicester City’s season?

Cooper explained that his decision to bring on an additional centre-back was a response to Palace’s attacking substitutions.

While this reasoning makes sense, the change seemed to disrupt the team’s balance.

Leicester struggled to push out of their own half, which ultimately increased the pressure they were under and led to the unfortunate penalty.

To better understand Cooper’s approach, a broader look at his tactics is necessary.

Saturday’s draw at Crystal Palace marked the 15th time in Steve Cooper’s 58 games as a Premier League manager that his team has been leading going into the final 15 minutes.

Out of the previous 14 instances, Cooper’s side held on for victory 11 times, with three games ending without a win.

A closer analysis of those matches reveals that bringing on an additional centre-back is not a common tactic for Cooper.

However, when he has employed it, the results have been mixed. Prior to the Crystal Palace match, Cooper had only used this approach three times in the Premier League when defending a lead late in the game.

Against Liverpool during the 2022-23 season, this strategy worked, with Nottingham Forest securing a 1-0 victory.

In another match against Southampton that same season, it was moderately successful, as Forest held on for a 4-3 win, though they did concede a late penalty that reduced their advantage.

However, in a match against Wolves, this tactic backfired.

Joe Worrall was subbed in for Emmanuel Dennis when Forest were a goal ahead, but Daniel Podence scored an equalizer in the 83rd minute, costing Forest two points.

While Cooper doesn’t frequently sub in centre-backs to protect leads, defensive substitutions are more common.

In five more instances where Forest successfully held on for wins, Cooper opted to make defensive tweaks, usually bringing on a wing-back or a deep midfielder for an attacking player.

In other cases, his team started with a three-man defense, leaving fewer options on the bench for further defensive adjustments.

For example, in a 2-1 loss to Brentford in the 2022-23 season, forward Brennan Johnson was replaced by defensive midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate just after the hour mark when Forest was 1-0 up.

However, they conceded two goals in the final minutes. Similarly, in a 2-2 draw with Luton last season, Cooper’s substitutions did not alter Forest’s shape, yet fans criticized the changes after Luton equalized shortly after.

Interestingly, one of the topics discussed in Cooper’s pre-match press conference ahead of that Luton game was the number of goals scored by substitutes he had introduced, adding further layers to the ongoing debate about his tactical adjustments.