Steve Cooper open to striker changes as Leicester City look to resolve underlying issues in attack.

Steve Cooper has not ruled out the possibility of starting Odsonne Edouard alongside Jamie Vardy in a strike partnership, as Leicester City looks to improve its attack.

Edouard briefly partnered with Vardy during the closing moments of City’s 4-2 loss to Arsenal last Saturday but had little time to make an impact.

In his debut the previous weekend, the Crystal Palace loanee replaced Vardy, while his first start came during last week’s Carabao Cup tie against Walsall, where he struggled to pose a threat.

Leicester’s attacking struggles have been somewhat concealed, as they have scored in all six Premier League games so far, with only seven clubs netting more goals.

However, their goal-scoring has been largely due to clinical finishing rather than consistent creativity.

The team isn’t generating opportunities at a sustainable rate, with the fewest shots on goal in the league.

Additionally, their shots are coming from the furthest average distance, highlighting difficulties in penetrating the opposition’s box.

Vardy, in particular, has had a quiet season, managing just three shots, with only one coming after the opening weekend.

This is fewer than seven of his teammates, including defenders James Justin and Wout Faes.

Cooper’s current system typically accommodates only one striker, but during his tenure at Nottingham Forest, he occasionally deployed a two-striker formation.

While this tactic hasn’t been used yet at Leicester, Cooper hasn’t ruled out experimenting with it, especially if Edouard can shake off his rustiness.

“If we want to play with two strikers, I don’t think you should ever say no if we feel a game requires that or if we need a change,” Cooper said.

“That’s why it’s better to have too many strikers than not enough, or too many wingers than not enough. I wouldn’t rule that out.”

Cooper acknowledged that Edouard needs more time to fully integrate, noting that he showed flashes of promise but also some signs of rust. “We’ve been discussing the final third and service.

We’d like to have been sharper around him to give him more opportunities, but there were decent flashes.

You could see he hadn’t played for a while. We’re pleased he’s here, and he’ll be in the mix moving forward.”

Edouard scored seven Premier League goals last season, his best tally since moving from Scotland, but most of those came in the first half of the season.

In 2023, he has netted just once in 22 competitive appearances.