Steve Cooper has instilled resilience but Leicester need to become more than comeback kings

What is Leicester City’s identity under head coach Steve Cooper?

Many fans have asked that question after the clear-defined approach of his predecessor, Enzo Maresca.

Learning about the players has been a discovery process for Cooper, as it has for his squad as they adjust to his more relaxed approach to last season’s structured setup. Early on, Cooper went with a more athletic line-up with key players in last season’s promotion campaign — Ricardo Pereira, Jannik Vestergaard and even, briefly, Harry Winks — marginalised.

All have returned in recent games, as has the inside full-back role from last season, with Pereira’s return, and the two wide wingers, replacing the high full-back Cooper employed at the start of the season.

It is little surprise that they have struggled to put together a complete 90-minute performance. There have been periods when Leicester have looked effective and others when they have been extremely vulnerable. There have been halves filled with promise and others filled with concern.

The good news, though, is while they have been going through this period of self-discovery, they have managed to put points on the board.

With just over a quarter of the season gone, they are a quarter of the way to the magical 40-point mark, with 10 points from 10 games.

That is some achievement considering Cooper’s men had to wait until their seventh game for their first victory and have conceded the first goal in eight of those 10 games.

While they may not have been totally convincing defensively and in terms of quality, the most encouraging aspect — and a cause for hope that they can avoid an instant return to the Championship — is their resilience.

They have gained six points from losing positions this season. Only Manchester City (13 from 23), Aston Villa (10 from 18) and Tottenham Hotspur (nine from 16) have picked up more from losing positions this season. And they are three sides with attacking firepower who like to dominate possession.

Points gained from losing positions

Team	Points gained
Manchester City	13
Aston Villa	10
Tottenham Hotspur	9
Leicester City	6
Brighton and Hove Albion	5
Chelsea	5
Bournemouth	5
Newcastle United	5
Fulham	4
Everton	4
Arsenal	4
Liverpool	4
Brentford	3
Wolverhampton Wanderers	3
Crystal Palace	3
Manchester United	3
Ipswich Town	2
West Ham United	2
Nottingham Forest	1
Southampton	0

Manchester City and Tottenham top the possessional percentage table, with 64 per cent and 61 per cent on average in their games respectively, while Villa have averaged 52 per cent. Manchester City and Tottenham also have the most shots in the Premier League. Excluding blocked shots, Pep Guardiola’s side have had 135 efforts on goal, while Ange Postecoglou’s have had 120. Surprisingly, Villa are down in 13th, with 90 efforts on goal.

Total shots (excluding blocks)

Team	Total Shots (ex. Blocks)
Manchester City	135
Tottenham Hotspur	120
Bournemouth	109
Fulham	109
Liverpool	105
Manchester United	105
West Ham United	103
Arsenal	102
Nottingham Forest	102
Chelsea	101
Crystal Palace	101
Brighton and Hove Albion	98
Aston Villa	90
Everton	86
Brentford	84
Newcastle United	83
Wolverhampton Wanderers	83
Leicester City	82
Ipswich Town	73
Southampton	68

What makes Leicester’s comeback record even more impressive is they have done so with just 47 per cent possession on average and their shots on goal, excluding blocked efforts, is the third-lowest in the division at just 82.

Only Southampton (68) and Ipswich Town (73), who Leicester salvaged four points from with fightbacks in their last two away games, have had fewer.

Average of possession (%) per game

Team	Possession ▼
Manchester City	64.2
Tottenham Hotspur	61.25
Liverpool	56.87
Chelsea	55.16
Southampton	55.12
Brighton and Hove Albion	55.07
Fulham	52.42
Manchester United	52.27
Aston Villa	52
Arsenal	50.37
Newcastle United	48.72
Leicester City	46.92
Crystal Palace	46.86
Brentford	46.45
Wolverhampton Wanderers	45.64
West Ham United	45
Bournemouth	43.5
Nottingham Forest	41.27
Ipswich Town	41.13
Everton	37.28

Leicester are nearly halfway to their total of points gained from losing positions from their disastrous relegation season of 2022-23 when they gained 13 of their total of 34 points. Invariably, when Leicester went behind in the campaign — which included several of the existing squad — there was little way back.

Since the title-winning season of 2015-16, the highest total Leicester have gained from losing positions has been 20 in 2020-21, when they went on to win the FA Cup and finished fifth, just missing out on Champions League qualification for the second successive season.

The next-highest total is 14, gained during 2018-19 and the lowest tally was in 2016-17, their title defence, when they only came back to claim seven points all season.

They haven’t always kicked on and finished strongly this season, as their display against Nottingham Forest proved when they were level at half-time but conceded two Chris Wood goals in the second half. Defensive lapses were the issue on that occasion — and have been another feature this season.

Cooper has jostled his defensive options in recent games but, depending on the financial situation with profit and sustainability rules (PSR) when their accounts for last season are submitted to the Premier League by December 31, another central defender is likely to be high on Cooper’s shopping list in January.

The club won their case against the Premier League for the 2022-23 season, despite considerable speculation they would be facing record points deductions — but there are no guarantees there would be any great escape for Leicester this time.

That makes every point gained in the first half of the season crucial. They do not want to continue to be comeback kings. It would help if they could start on the front foot more in games and try to take the initiative instead of waiting tentatively to see how the match pans out.

They have scored the first goal in only two games this season: the 1-0 win against Bournemouth and the 2-2 draw away at Crystal Palace, when they conceded two second-half goals to squander two points. They are the only points they have let slip from winning positions.

Starting well is particularly important this weekend at Manchester United, who have also only dropped two points from winning positions, although it has been a particularly disappointing campaign for them and cost manager Erik ten Hag his job.

In contrast, Brentford have dropped 14 points from winning positions and Leicester’s relegation rivals Ipswich Town (12) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (11) have already dropped double figures. Only Newcastle United (0) and Liverpool (0) have given up fewer points from winning positions.

The challenge for Cooper and Leicester is to be in those positions more often to test how resilient they can be when the pressure is on and a crucial victory is in their grasp, rather than snatching it from the hands of others.

(Top photo: Stephen Pond/Getty Image)