Steve Cooper’s Leicester City Tenure Was Always Doomed to Fail, Insists Former Fox Matt Piper
Steve Cooper’s ill-fated tenure as Leicester City manager was always destined to end in failure, according to former Fox Matt Piper. Cooper’s departure from the King Power Stadium was confirmed on Sunday evening, just 24 hours after the Foxes’ 2-1 defeat to Chelsea.
Piper, who spent two years at Leicester City in the early 2000s, believes that Cooper’s inability to implement his own style and identity on the team was a major factor in his downfall. “Steve Cooper was always doomed to fail at Leicester City,” Piper said on the Football Daily podcast. “The players were playing for him, but what was massively lacking was an identity in the side. Cooper was unable to impose his own style on the team, and that was a major problem.”
Piper also believes that Cooper’s task was made even more difficult by the fact that he was following in the footsteps of Enzo Maresca, a manager who was highly respected by the players. “Enzo was a very difficult person to follow because he was so meticulous in the way that he set up his side,” Piper said. “Cooper came in and you didn’t see any identity within the team. Even when they nicked a couple of results earlier on in the season, there was still no real identity to the play.”
The statistics also paint a damning picture of Cooper’s tenure at Leicester City. In his 12 Premier League games in charge, the Foxes won just two matches, drew four, and lost six. This record is one of the worst in the club’s history, and it’s clear that Cooper was unable to inspire his team to produce consistent results.
Cooper’s departure from Leicester City has sparked a flurry of speculation about his potential replacement, with the likes of Graham Potter and Carlos Corberan being linked with the job. However, Piper believes that the club needs to take a careful and considered approach to appointing their next manager. “Leicester City needs to take their time and get the right man for the job,” Piper said. “They can’t afford to rush into an appointment and risk making another mistake. The club needs stability and direction, and that’s what the next manager needs to provide.”
Piper also believes that the club’s owners, the King Power International Group, need to take a long-term view when it comes to appointing the next manager. “The owners need to be patient and not just look for a quick fix,” Piper said. “They need to find someone who can come in and build a team, someone who can bring stability and success to the club over the long-term.”
As for Cooper, Piper believes that he will bounce back from his disappointing spell at Leicester City. “Steve Cooper is a good manager, and he will learn from his experiences at Leicester City,” Piper said. “He will come back stronger and wiser, and he will go on to have a successful career in management.”
The search for Cooper’s replacement is already underway, with the club’s hierarchy working tirelessly to identify the right candidate for the job. Whoever is appointed will face a tough task in turning around the club’s fortunes, but Piper is confident that the Foxes can bounce back from their current slump. “Leicester City is a great club with a lot of potential,” Piper said. “With the right manager in place, I’m confident that they can turn things around and start moving up the table.”
