A look at Leicester City’s tactical problems

arnav
By Arnav
5 Min Read

Leicester City manager Steve Cooper has been scrutinised lately for his misfiring tactical strategies and apparent reluctance to tweak things.

The Foxes sit 15th in the Premier League after five-game weeks and have yet to record a victory. While there have been a few positives, the performances have been largely dull, with the draws against Crystal Palace and Everton especially frustrating for the fans. Leicester have been extremely poor in attack and have struggled defensively in wide areas. 

Already under pressure for Leicester’s ineffective offensive play, things got worse for Cooper after the Carabao Cup tie against Walsall. The Foxes struggled against their League Two opponents and had to rely on Danny Ward’s heroics in the penalty shootout to progress to the next round.

Steve Cooper’s tactics

A central talking point of Cooper’s tactics has been his utilisation of Leicester’s fullbacks and wingers. Cooper likes his wide men to be able to cut inside or hug the touchline if needed. This ensures that Leicester has variety in attack. When one fullback pushes up (usually Kristiansen), the winger on the same flank drifts inside to create space for the advancing defender. The fullback on the other flank tucks inside while the winger stays wide. 

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This creates a 3-2-4-1 formation. 

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Abdul Fatawu and Ricardo Pereira don’t fit in

However, this tactic comes at the cost of two talented players – Abdul Fatawu and Ricardo Pereira. Cooper doesn’t view Pereira as an inverted fullback. Similarly, Fatawu is at his best when given width. This means that if Cooper wants his fullbacks to be fluid, Fatawu can’t be deployed as he doesn’t cut inside into attacking midfield. 

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Cooper can however sacrifice fluidity to accommodate Fatawu. By assigning attacking duties to the left back and defensive duties to the right back, Fatawu can stay wide as he doesn’t have to invert inside to leave space for the fullback’s runs. Cooper tried that in the first few games but deviated to the fluid approach we now see. 

Unfortunately, this doesn’t allow Pereira to play. Against Walsall, the Portuguese’ instructions to invert limited his attacking impact. If Pereira were to play, it makes sense to give him more freedom. However, this will come at the cost of Fatawu, who will be dropped for Ayew. The other scenario is that both Fatawu and Pereira play, The Ghanian stays wide while Pereira inverts inside. However, Cooper doesn’t trust the fullbacks’ defensive capabilities in a three-at-the-back formation.

Poor tactics cost Leicester City the win against Everton

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Ultimately, with results not going Leicester’s way, Cooper should strongly consider a tactic which allows players like Fatawu and Pereira to play in their best positions. Against Everton, because Stephy Mavididi was playing so well on the left flank, Kristiansen stayed back. This meant Justin pushed up on the right side with Ayew inverting. 

This left Leicester too predictable. If Fatawu had been on the pitch, Everton would have had to deal with two direct wingers taking on their fullbacks. However, since Ayew drifted inside, there was no real threat on the right flank, allowing Everton to focus on Mavididi. 

It appears that Cooper makes sure each player has their own space. This ensures that every player always has a passing option. Additionally, because the players are spread out, a small positioning mistake by the opposition can be punished swiftly. However, this removes the big threat of overloads, which is extremely effective when you have a direct winger and an attacking fullback on the same flank.

Steve Cooper may be sacked if results don’t improve

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The Leicester board may sack Cooper soon if results don’t improve. While it is unfair for a manager to be judged so quickly, football is a ruthless sport. Cooper must fine-tune his tactic or change it if necessary to get the points that Leicester so desperately need now.

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