Few in Leicester would have shed a tear when news of Steve Cooper’s dismissal was announced on Sunday. Following in the footsteps of Enzo Maresca was tough enough and the club appointing a head coach dismissed by their rivals Nottingham Forest last December did not sit well with supporters. In effect Cooper had to scale a mountain to win over the fanbase.
Saturday’s 2-1 home loss to Chelsea spelled the end of his second spell in the Midlands. That it was Maresca in the opposing dugout at the King Power Stadium was a cruel twist of fate. It extended Leicester’s winless run in all competitions to five and leaves them a point above the drop zone. Cooper has overseen two league wins, and one of those was at 10-man Southampton, where they came from two goals down to win 3-2.
Cooper’s style of play differs from that of Maresca, who led Leicester to Championship success by using the wingers to hurt opponents. Abdul Fatawu and Stephy Mavididi were tasked with remaining wide, having the ball fed to them and driving at opponents.
Hours after the defeat by Chelsea a group of Leicester players including Harry Winks and Conor Coady were spotted at a club-sanctioned Christmas party in a Copenhagen nightclub, where Winks appeared to film a sign that read: “Enzo I miss u.” The sign, carried by a woman, had the nightclub’s name at the top. Winks has previously spoken highly of Maresca. “He’s by far the best manager I’ve worked for,” the midfielder said in May.
Winks was key in Leicester’s title triumph last season and there wasn’t a huge squad overhaul over the summer, meaning Cooper inherited a squad that backed Maresca to the hilt. On the face of it, Cooper hadn’t made that bad a start.
He picked up four more points after 12 games than he managed with Forest after winning promotion. Forest would end that 2023-23 campaign four points clear of the drop. Cooper, though, had the backing of the support and the club in Nottingham.
Dig a little deeper and the Leicester stats make for grim reading. Only two teams have conceded more goals than Leicester (23) in the Premier League this season and 17.6 shots conceded per game is the third-highest in the division. They are averaging the fewest shots per game (9.8) and there remains a worrying reliance on the 37-year-old Jamie Vardy.
Leicester generated the lowest xG (13.72) in England’s top tier, and their 26.6 xG against is the third-highest. Cooper struggled to find the balance that ensures a team are tough to break down but able to spring forward and hurt opponents. Only Brentford (two) have had fewer shots at the end of fast breaks than Leicester (five) and they are one of seven teams yet to score a counterattacking goal.
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The players brought in, the loanee Facundo Buonanotte aside, have struggled for minutes and consistency. Fatawu’s loan being made permanent was sensible but Leicester spent £41m to sign the midfielders Oliver Skipp and Bilal El Khannouss and the pair have made five and three league starts respectively, playing a total of 760 league minutes. Caleb Okoli hasn’t looked wholly convincing, though that is to be expected when playing alongside the error-prone Wout Faes.
Cooper’s successor faces a tough task to stave off relegation, though they will not come with the history of having managed a rival that played a part in Cooper’s short reign.
