Crystal Palace and Leicester City battled to a 2-2 draw at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
The Foxes were agonisingly close to their first victory of the season but were denied by a late Palace penalty. Steve Cooper’s substitutions were a major talking point for Leicester after the game.
Steve Cooper too defensive with substitutions
Seeing the Foxes take off a winger for a centre-back while holding a narrow lead in an away game brought back some not-so-nice memories of the Brendan Rodgers era. Having Hamza Choudhary come in for Wilfred Ndidi was defensive enough. But taking off a winger for a centre-back is asking for trouble, especially if the defender has had just 30 minutes of game time this season.
Cooper had to be brave, then. Bringing in the likes of El Khannouss or Facundo Buonanotte, both hard workers out of possession, could have ensured that Palace weren’t so deeply embedded inside the Leicester half. The Foxes had defended well throughout the game with a four-man defence. Adding an extra man just invited more pressure with the lack of personnel in midfield.
In the final stage of the game, the Foxes had only the tiring Jamie Vardy and Abdul Fatawu as their attacking outlets. With just two attacking players, Palace did not have to worry about being hit on the counter-attack and committed even more players to the attack. Having a third attacking player would have made Oliver Glasner a bit more cautious with his team’s structure and positioning, giving the Leicester backline some respite.
A similar story against Aston Villa as well
Cooper needed to be more courageous with his substitutions, even in the Aston Villa game. With Leicester trailing most of the game, Stephy Mavididi should have been brought in early for Jordan Ayew. However, Cooper waited, and Villa doubled their lead. Only then was Mavididi brought on, and within six minutes of his introduction, he created the chance for Buonanotte’s goal.
Leicester City are in a relegation battle, so each and every point counts. There’s a saying: ‘Fortune favours the brave.’ Cooper needs to show more courage. Being bold may not always work, but it’s the mentality the coach and players need if they want to stay in the Premier League.