Leicester's unstable pre-season and what Steve Cooper must change for PL return

Two 1-2 victories and two 1-0 losses for the King Power side with one more pre-season fixture still to come and an opening Premier League tie with Tottenham Hotspurs on the horizon. Inconsistency and honestly poor performances overall are to blame for those losses, but the Welshman has a lot of work todo if Leicester are to remain in the Premier League.

What Leicester City have been doing

Cooper has struggled to land on a starting XI. This is fine in the behind-closed-doors games, but for those supporters can actually watch and see, and with only one match of pre-season left, the Foxes really do need to have a clear vision of who is starting.

In each of the defeats, we saw two completely different teams with different styles and identities being put to the test; a lack of cohesive play-style within particular positions and roles creates a disconnect when players play with peers they were expecting to behave a certain way. For example, Ricardo Pereira can bomb it forward, cut inside, and take a shot on, where shoving either James Justin or Victor Kristiansen on the right we see a completely different stylistic preference: confusion in midfield of what to expect makes the team lethargic, and misplaces passes.

However, I will contend that Cooper got close to what will be the right team in the Palermo defeat. Mads Hermansen in goal, a backline of Pereira, Conor Coady, Caleb Okoli, and James Justin; a midfield trio of Harry Winks, Wilfred Ndidi, and Boubakary Soumare; a front three of Stephy Mavididi, Abdul Fatawu, and Patson Daka. The only thing I might change would be Coady for Jannik Vestergaard or Harry Souttar if he ends up staying, and Okoli for Wout Faes.

Cooper has done little real tactical ingenuity in this. This feels like a classic 4-3-3 possession-based system with little positional fluidity, rotation, and an overall caution to the team which harms the collecitve psyche. A winning mentality would see the team more fluid, pushing harder, and taking more shots.

What Leicester City have to change

Fluidity, progression, and ambition. That is a winners mentality, a winners style. If all your team can do is mope around on the ball, passing occasionally, often failing to make the passes either connect or land in decent space, then your team will fail. Leicester City looked obviously lacking in sharpness as it is pre-season, but the players should have a clear direction already: they should already be clear on how to play their positions and work together.

Of course, there is plenty of transfer speculation surrounding the Foxes, and Cooper has made it abundantly obvious that he feels he needs more forwards. On a personal note, I find it baffling we are looking for another winger with the options we have, same with strikers. We need probably a fullback and midfielder and that is if we sell players.

So then, what I want to see Leicester change is not to rely on a 4-3-3 all the time: send a fullback forward into a winger (Kristiansen on the left or Pereira on the right), choose a creative midfielder with the freedom of the pitch to fluidly interchange and support the wings, and a centre-back ready to maraud forward (like we have seen from Wout Faes). As well as this, we need players to prioritise passing quickly either direct or into space out to the wings where we have our most dangerous talent.

The King Power team have a strong squad, what they need is a clear direction of who is playing where and how, a winning mentality, and - crucially - a little bit of progressive fluidity and creativity. I might contend, it could be time for Will Alves to be given the torch in midfield should a signing of either Matt O'Riley or Reo Hatate not come off.