Leicester 1-3 Nottingham Forest: Three Foxes Talking Points

Team Selection

Contrary to the expectations of some, Steve Cooper’s critics got what they wanted with Abdul Fatawu, Stephy Mavididi and Ricardo Pereira starting and Harry Winks restored to the side. Indeed, in the first half at least, the team seemed to revert to the style of play insisted upon by Enzo Maresca with a slow tempered build-up, Pereira reprising his inverted full-back role and Jamie Vardy coming short to receive, and distribute, the ball.  The contrast with Forest couldn’t have been starker. The team from the City Ground are a no-frills side who defend deep and rely on long balls to utilise their pacey wing men. At this they are mightily effective and their high position in the league is no fluke.

 The Performance

Overall, the changes made by Cooper didn’t really pay off. In particular, Fatawu was a shadow of the player who tore the Saints apart last Saturday and his rating of five out of ten by the Mercury’s Jordan Blackwell is fully justified.

The team selection, though, tells us very little about City’s performance. Not for the first time this season, this was a game of two halves. In the first, Leicester were competitive, looking dangerous going forward and managing, for the most part, to counter Forest counter attacks. Ryan Yates opened the scoring for the reds but a typical Vardy poacher’s goal from a Winks cross levelled things up before half time. For me, Facundo Buonanotte and Wilfred Ndidi were the stand-out men in blue shirts in the first 45 minutes.

The second half couldn’t have been more different. Two elementary errors gifted Forest further goals early on (scored by former City striker Chris Wood) and to be honest, they could have had more, the woodwork coming to the Foxes’ rescue. The reds were quicker to the ball and, despite huffing and puffing, Leicester offered very little going forward, not mustering a single shot on target. The failure again of Cooper's men to put in a 90-minute performance is becoming a huge problem. 

Cooper’s prospects

Tonight’s game, against deadly rivals and a club he used to manage, offered a real chance for Cooper to win over his critics in the Blue Army fan base. His failure to do so could spell problems for the Leicester boss. I have written recently that the fans ought to be patient with Cooper. In reality, there are four or five clubs in the Premier League, including the Foxes, that are candidates for relegation and success this season for the Foxes will be avoiding being in the bottom three. That outcome is still possible. Many fans don’t see things like this, however, and the position of the Leicester boss is precarious. A win, or at the very least avoiding defeat, in the next outing against relegation candidates Ipswich Town is essential otherwise the Blue Army could quickly turn against the manager.