Steve Cooper has downplayed the importance of Leicester City’s clash with Ipswich Town, despite both teams sitting near the bottom of the Premier League.
Winless Ipswich have only four points from nine games and are heading into the Portman Road fixture following three consecutive defeats. Leicester, however, have gained some traction with victories over Bournemouth and Southampton, moving up to nine points. A win on Saturday would extend Leicester’s lead over Ipswich to eight points, but Cooper is cautious about overemphasising the significance of this match.
“I think they are all significant because whoever you play, you get that win and it can make such a difference, as we’ve seen with the two wins we’ve got already,” Cooper remarked. “I don’t think we should assume that anyone should be anywhere. It’s more about living in the moment, respecting who you’re playing against.”
Cooper stressed the importance of focusing on Leicester’s own game, noting that their best performances have come when they concentrate on their own strengths.
“You have to earn the right to make things happen against every opponent. When we’ve been at our best, it’s been about what we do in games,” he added.
Cooper made sweeping changes for Leicester’s midweek 5-2 Carabao Cup defeat at Manchester United, with only James Justin and Caleb Okoli retaining their places from the team that suffered a 3-1 loss to Nottingham Forest. This defensive instability has been an area of concern for Cooper, who knows it must be addressed.
“I won’t hide away from the goals we’ve conceded,” he acknowledged. “We need to focus on our concentration and be present in the moment. We’re in a ruthless environment where you do get punished.”
The Leicester manager emphasised the need to strike the right balance between defence and attack.
“We need to get the balance right and to tip it our way so we’re scoring more than we’re conceding. First and foremost, it’s facing up to it. There’s always a topic to talk about where we can do better, and at the moment it’s giving opponents good opportunities to score against us.”
Concentration, according to Cooper, is key to closing gaps in defence and preventing easy scoring opportunities for opponents.
“Concentration is such a key factor of what we’re talking about now,” he continued. “Let’s cut it out. If an opponent scores past us, let’s make sure they have to work really hard.”
Leicester are boosted by the return of defender Victor Kristiansen, midfielder Michael Golding, and striker Patson Daka to training. However, the availability of Ghanaian winger Abdul Fatawu remains uncertain following a groin injury, and Leicester await scan results to determine his status.
“Unfortunately, he picked up a little bit of pain in his groin in the build-up to United,” Cooper explained. “We’ll see what the scan shows. Hopefully, it’s positive news.”
As Leicester prepare to face Ipswich, Cooper is focused on stabilising his defence and building on their recent momentum in a fixture that, while not decisive, could set the tone for their season ahead.