Team selection
It can’t be said of Steve Cooper that he isn’t flexible or impervious to the views of others, fans included. First, he reinstated Ricardo Pereira and Abdul Fatawu in the side (although the former missed out at Old Trafford through injury) then he re-established the central defensive partnership of Wout Faes and Jannik Vesterggard. Finally, as predicted by FoL, recognising the quality of Boubakary Soumare’s starting performance against United in the League Cup and his point-saving cameo against Ipswich, the Leicester boss offered him a first league start against the Reds. Unfortunately, Cooper couldn’t, today, call upon the services of Jamie Vardy who was injured. As a result, Jordan Ayew took on the central striker’s role. Nothing much to criticise management for here but what about the performance?
A poor performance
Under normal circumstances a defeat at Old Trafford is not a disgrace, although the 3-0 score line was steep. However, this is a poor United team, particularly given the money spent on it. It was a sub-standard performance by the Foxes. The passing was too often inaccurate and the set-piece delivery awful. Very little was created (a Ndidi effort which he fluffed with only the goalkeeper to beat the exception) despite United’s generosity in giving the ball away and inviting pressure. United scored with virtually all of their chances. I don’t however, agree with the Athletic correspondent Rob Tanner who tweeted after the game that there hadn’t been enough effort from City. It seemed to me that the effort wasn’t too bad, but the quality was seriously lacking. To make matters worse, the yellow card given to Facundo Buonanotte by referee Peter Banks (who seemed to be under the misapprehension that he wasn’t permitted to book United players) means, as FoL pointed out before the game, that he will miss the next game against Chelsea.
FT 3-0. More than the scoreline, it is the #LCFC display today that should be of greatest concern because there was very little fight or character about it. A tame display.
— Rob Tanner (@RobTannerLCFC) November 10, 2024
Leicester’s lack of penetration, without Vardy’s guile, was an eye-opener and Cooper’s failure to make changes in personnel and formation as the game progressed was galling to Foxes’ fans who were not slow in voicing their displeasure. The decision to wait until the last few minutes, when City were 3-0 down, to bring on Odsonne Edouard, the only other fit striker in his squad, was unfathomable. Boos greeted the players in blue at full time and there were sporadic chants of ‘Cooper out’. The lack of depth up front, and the over-reliance on Leicester’s number 9, is a real cause for concern. Time may be running out for the Foxes’ boss. With Ipswich and Wolves breaking their Premier League ducks this weekend, and Chelsea up next, the Foxes are in danger of getting dragged into a relegation dog fight.
How the other half lives
United might not have a particularly good team at the moment, but that will no doubt change. Visiting Old Trafford gives a sense of how unequal the Premier League is. The aura of United is awesome. The club is housed in an enormous stadium, albeit in need of repair, holding more than twice the number of people as the King Power. The reminders of football royalty - - George Best, Bobby Charlton, Denis Law, Matt Busby, Jimmy Murphy, Alex Ferguson - are everywhere. It is no surprise that the club can attract football ‘tourists’ willing to buy and wear scarves with the names of both of today’s team printed on them. One wonders how long United, and the other big clubs of English football, will remain within the confines of the Premier League. They have arguably long outgrown it.