Steve Cooper at Leicester: What we can expect in FPL

Before being appointed as manager of Leicester City, Steve Cooper resisted the overtures of several clubs from the Championship.

Having been sacked by Nottingham Forest in December 2023 the temptation to dive back into management must have been great, but Cooper didn’t want to sell himself short.

He bided his time, waited out the chance to prove himself at Premier League level again, and now that opportunity has come, in the form of a three-year deal with the newly promoted Foxes.

Here we take a look at the man who has replaced Enzo Maresca and try and work out what it means for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers.

THE HISTORY

Steve Cooper comes from footballing stock but not in the traditional sense. His father, Keith, was a referee who officiated in the Premier League, while Cooper tried to make it as a player. He joined Wrexham in 1998 but never quite made the grade so decided to take his coaching badges while playing in the local Rhonda leagues.

After working his way up to be head of youth development at Wrexham, he joined Liverpool’s youth academy, becoming manager of the Under-18s and assisting the development of players like Raheem Sterling and Trent Alexander-Arnold. He then joined the FA’s academy coaching staff and managed England to Under-17 World Cup glory in 2017.

The 44-year-old became manager of Swansea City in June 2019, replacing the Brighton-bound Graham Potter – ironically one of three candidates for the Leicester job this summer. The Welshman guided the Swans to the playoff semi-finals in his first season in charge and the playoff final in his second, losing both matches to Brentford.

He left by mutual consent after that playoff defeat and three months later replaced Chris Hughton at Nottingham Forest, with the club rooted to the foot of the Championship with four points from seven matches.

Not only did he spare them relegation but he galvanised the group of largely on-loan players and masterminded Forest’s return to the Premier League for the first time in 23 years, winning the playoff final with a 1-0 victory over Huddersfield Town.

So thin was the Forest squad that 21 signings were made in the summer and Cooper had to somehow get a Premier League tune out of them. He eventually found the right formula and Forest stayed up with a match to spare.

The following season, however, proved challenging, relations with the hierarchy soured and Cooper was sacked in December 2023 after just one win in 13 matches.

THE PLAYING STYLE/TACTICS

Cooper is considered a pragmatist who will use the system that best suits the players at his disposal, but he tends to prefer his teams to play in a 3-4-1-2 formation with flying wing-backs.

In his first three months at Swansea, he oversaw the club’s best start to a season in 41 years, playing in a 4-2-3-1. The second half of that campaign he alternated between a 3-5-2, a 5-3-2 system, and in the final weeks, a defensive 4-3-3 that edged his side into the playoffs.

The following campaign Swansea played a 5-4-1 before reverting to his preferred 3-4-1-2 for the run-in. Cooper was criticised for the lack of expansive football that defied the attacking traditions embraced by predecessors such as Potter, Brendan Rodgers and Roberto Martinez.

Swansea mustered only 56 goals – the lowest of the Championship’s top nine clubs – but reached the playoffs thanks to their defensive solidity, the knack of grinding out results and Cooper’s ability to nurture young players like Joe Rodon and Marc Guehi.

At Nottingham Forest Cooper again largely opted for a 3-4-1-2. His side was slightly more progressive but the onus was on exploiting transitions with rapid wing-backs. Djed Spence and Jack Colback were asked to fly down the wings and they created chances to great effect. In their promotion season, 78% of Forest’s attacks came from the flanks.

In the Premier League, Cooper w­­as handed a completely new squad of players and asked to make them tick. After earning only a point from his first seven matches he switched from his bold 3-4-2-1 to a more defensive 4-3-3 which improved fortunes for a spell.

But when the results dried up he doubled down on the defensive approach by opting for a 5-4-1 that depended on hunkering down in a deep block and using the pace on the break of Brennan Johnson and Morgan Gibbs-White. Forest scrambled to safety with a match to go.

That season Forest ranked 20th for average possession, pressures in the attacking third, percentage of their total pressures in the attacking third, and number of 10+ open-play passing sequences. But they were ranked second in the division for direct speed.

THE FPL PROSPECTS

So what does all this tell us about what we can expect at Leicester? Firstly, Cooper couldn’t be more different from Maresca if he tried. The Italian was schooled in Guardiola-ball at Manchester City so last season Leicester played possession-based football, adopted a high defensive line, pressed high up and played short passes between players in set positions.

Cooper may decide that what isn’t broken won’t need fixing and indications are that he intends to respect the clubs style.

“As staff and players, it is important we play with a style that the Leicester support recognise as the very best of their club. The support of the fans will be fundamental and I am looking forward to meeting many of you over the summer.

“This club has a distinct identity and attracts a great deal of respect for what it has achieved. That has been done through the dedication of the owners and the hard work of the players and the people here.” – Steve Cooper

That said, tika-taka football would be a departure from the norm. And perhaps a more direct approach we can probably expect would be no bad thing. As Vincent Kompany learned to his cost last season with Burnley, what works in the Championship does not necessarily translate to Premier League success.

Cooper will almost certainly go with what he does best – win the ball high up and transition quickly with the use of jet-heeled wing-backs. This should be good news for James Justin and Ricardo Pereira. Both are quality defenders with Premier League experience who can thrive as wing-backs and also play wide in a back four if a change-up is needed.

Cooper will also prioritise defensive solidity, which means these budget defenders could prove to be shrewd differentials capable of returning at both ends of the pitch.

Further forward wingers Stephy Mavdidi and Abdul Fatawu can also flourish under Cooper, by doing their best Anthony Elanga and Brennan Johnson impressions. Mavdidi was in the top three in the Championship for ball carries last season, while Fatawu achieved 91 successful take-ons last term – a feat bettered by only three players.

In midfield, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall weighed in with 12 goals last season and will be a major player for Cooper in the top flight – assuming Leicester can hold on to him. That is a big assumption, though. Leicester will likely have to sell some of their crown jewels as the Premier League charged them for a suspected breach of profit and sustainability rules (PSR) in March – and the EFL are also pursuing them for a suspected breach. The Foxes will almost certainly be docked points next season and could lose a Dewsbury-Hall or two along the way to keep the wolf from the door.

Cooper will at least be delighted then that Jamie Vardy has signed a contract extension, especially since Kelechi Iheanacho has now departed. Goals have generally been hard to come by for Cooper’s sides, either because strikers have not been bought for him, as was the case at Swansea, or because injuries have rendered the likes of Taiwo Awoniyi unavailable for large spells.

Vardy scored 18 goals in the Championship last season and is a former Premier League Golden Boot winner. Despite his 37 years, he can be a difference-maker, even if he doesn’t start every match.

“All he needs is once chance, he’s done that for the last 10 years. He’s still got that pedigree and he’s still got that pace you need in the Premier League. I know the Championship is a different level, but he’s still got that sharpness and focus, he scored 18 goals last season – and he didn’t even start all the games. He still gets those scrappy goals in the box.” – Danny Simpson on Jamie Vardy

Leicester will be looking to get off to a strong start to the season under Cooper. The Foxes play Spurs, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace in their opening four matches – sides whose front-footed approach could fall into the hands of Cooper’s counter-attacking style. Food for thought for FPL managers plotting their first draft teams.

We will know more about how Cooper plans to deploy his new charges during pre-season, so friendly fixtures against Shrewsbury on 23 July and away at Lens on 10 August should be closely observed ahead of the new season. By that time we will also know how many players have had to leave.

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