Steve Cooper: The Tactics Thread

[SecretPro]

Please discuss. 

[FoxinNotts]

He’s the epitome of ‘Pragmatism’. 
His preference is actually 4-3-3, but he’ll adapt to play any formation to suit the team he is facing.

[Dahnsouff]

3 minutes ago, FoxinNotts said:

He’s the epitome of ‘Pragmatism’. 
His preference is actually 4-3-3, but he’ll adapt to play any formation to suit the team he is facing.

Not sure this is going to cut it tbh

 

If he is going to keep changing things, how the hell will we know when to boo??

[ClaphamFox]

On the WYS podcast, Dominic Wells said that Cooper's preferred way of playing is very possession-oriented, utilising a deep-lying playmaker in exactly the role that Winks plays but without the inverted full-back. However, unlike Enzo he will adapt and switch formations if his preferred way isn't working. So those moaning last season that we didn't have a 'Plan B' should be happy - Cooper apparently has so many plans that at times nobody is even sure what Plan A is. 

[Chelmofox]

3 minutes ago, Dahnsouff said:

Not sure this is going to cut it tbh

 

If he is going to keep changing things, how the hell will we know when to boo??

If he gets it forward, then when will our fans know when to shout 'FORWARD!'.

 

So confusing.

[FoxinNotts]

look at those line ups, on paper, and look how his team battered us!

 

[Foxin_Mad]

Its actually criminal that Brendan Rodgers managed to find a way to lose with that team! I suppose at least he might instill a bit of fight in our squad, sometimes in recent years we have had a soft underbelly, when teams really want it more than us they have taken it.

Edited 21 June by Foxin_Mad

[FoxinNotts]

 

And again. TBF, we need to get used to losing away. Cooper's Premier league teams are dreadful away from home

[honeybradger]

1 minute ago, Foxin_Mad said:

Its actually criminal that Brendan Rodgers managed to find a way to lose with that team! 

We didn't just lose, we got destroyed.

[Guppys Love Child]

14 minutes ago, Dahnsouff said:

Not sure this is going to cut it tbh

 

If he is going to keep changing things, how the hell will we know when to boo??

Simple..start booing as you take your seat. Have rest at half time, then stop booing and you leave the ground.

 

That way you cover all booing opportunities..

[StriderHiryu]

As Cooper has used a wide variety of styles, it's hard to really know what his plan is. Thus I whenever our first pre-season game is, I will be analysing it like a hawk!

 

In the meantime, this is the best analysis of his potential style so far:
 

 

 

At Swansea he used this kind of system, which is quite common to see these days. Ipswich for example do this with Leif Davis starting at LB but ending up as a left winger. Then nominal left winger actually drifts in to become an 8.

 

This means it will be interesting to see how Ricardo and Mavididi are used. If we went like for like, I imagine Ricardo reverts to more of the "bomber" and Winks is more isolated in the build up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 21 June by StriderHiryu

[EnderbyFox]

4 minutes ago, Foxin_Mad said:

Its actually criminal that Brendan Rodgers managed to find a way to lose with that team! I suppose at least he might instill a bit of fight in our squad, sometimes in recent years we have had a soft underbelly, when teams really want it more than us they have taken it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kingfox]

This is what he played at Swansea & Forest...

 

As you can see, he’s mainly favoured either 3-4-1-2 or 4-2-3-1 at both clubs he’s been at. 
 

I can’t get a graphic for the 20/21 season at Swansea, but for the majority of that season he favoured a 3-5-2/3-4-1-2. 
 

The main question is, does a 3-4-1-2 suit us? You have to say no, because they’d be no room for Mavididi & Fatawu. 
 

He seems to like playing with a ‘Number 10’, so I’d thoroughly expect a 4-2-3-1 system if he wants to play to our strengths. 

[FoxinNotts]

Those two posts i loaded above are really interesting actually. So much to discuss.

 

Neither of Forest formations are traditional 4-3-3, yet that's supposed to be Coopers preferred Formation

He's not afraid to play without a recognised striker.

His Center backs we're even slower than anything we have (maybe not Vestergaard!)

He likes players in midfield with a lot of energy

 

[HankMarvin]

Rob tanners article 

 

Steve Cooper

If both Potter and Corberan have a clear philosophy and playing style like Maresca, Cooper’s isn’t as clear to define. 

The Welshman forged his reputation with England’s youth teams before getting his first managerial chance at Swansea City, where he succeeded Potter.

His style was seen as more pragmatic and adaptable than the clear identity Potter’s Swansea possessed and although he took them to back-to-back play-offs, in the 2020-21 season when they were beaten in the final by Brentford, his side had the third-best defensive record, conceding just 39 goals in 46 games, but only scored 56.

In the following season, however, as he led Nottingham Forest to the play-off final, finally emerging victorious, his side scored 73, the third-highest total, while retaining a defensive stability, only conceding 40.

 

 

Against the odds, he kept Forest in the Premier League in 2022-23. But as their play style wheel from that campaign shows, they did so with very little possession, playing more of a counter-attacking style. With so many changes to his playing personnel, Forest played underdog football to survive, to suit the players he had at his disposal.

After promotion, he quickly realised that, if Forest tried to play the way he wanted them to, they would be relegated.

He wanted to be attack-minded and on the front foot, as they had been on their way to promotion. But after a few games, and a few heavy defeats, he realised that they needed to be more disciplined and organised with the players they had.

He changed his defensive approach to a low block and made Forest tough to beat. It wasn’t always pretty, but it got the job done. He always spoke about how he felt conflicted, because it went against the way he wanted football to be played. He wanted his teams to play, but felt he did not have the Premier League experience in his squad to do that. With more experienced players he could be more adventurous.

Cooper likes his teams to play with good organisation and structure, but that system can change depending on the circumstances and the players at his disposal.

One thing he has in common with Potter and Corberan is where his coaching passion comes from, with a Spanish and Barcelona influence. As a youth coach at Liverpool, he worked with Jose ‘Pep’ Segura and Rodolfo Borrell, who went on to assist Guardiola at Manchester City. Segura in particular was a big influence on Cooper.

From them, he learned to pay attention to detail, checking up on his players after training to ensure they were OK and insisting on learning everyone’s names around the club, to foster club unity.

Cooper, who didn’t like being an authority figure and didn’t like being called boss or gaffer, simply Coops or Steve, might not have shown a clear football philosophy but he appears to be a more pragmatic coach who would assess the Leicester squad and design a game plan to suit. 

The merits of the playing styles of each candidate will be just one of the factors Leicester have to consider. It is now a question of which coach fits not only the long-term vision, but the unique challenges they will face back in the Premier League.

It

Edited 21 June by HankMarvin

[DJ Barry Hammond]

16 minutes ago, FoxinNotts said:

And again. TBF, we need to get used to losing away. Cooper's Premier league teams are dreadful away from home

This might be an unfair narrative to firmly attribute to Cooper given the only reference point for this was a newly promoted (via playoffs) Forest side. 
 

It can certainly be argued that the balance of the squad Cooper inherits here is a much better starting point than he had at Forest upon promotion, allowing him to approach things completely differently in our current scenario.

 

Indeed - you look at the makeup of our squad and the pace / directness it contains in key areas, we could prove quite potent away from home if we can get the defensive structure right.

 

 

Edited 21 June by DJ Barry Hammond

[goose2010]

17 minutes ago, Foxin_Mad said:

Its actually criminal that Brendan Rodgers managed to find a way to lose with that team! I suppose at least he might instill a bit of fight in our squad, sometimes in recent years we have had a soft underbelly, when teams really want it more than us they have taken it.

The back 5 (other than Justin) we / are horrendous footballers. That's how we lost. 

[Mr.Bingles]

The more I read about Cooper, outside of this forum obviously, the more positive I am about him being our manager.

 

We need a mananger thats going to be adaptable, get the best of players with propbably fewer resources at his disposal. Its going to be a scrappy, ugly season and as long as he keeps us up with the inevatable points deduction then his appointment will have been a success.

 

THis season is about survival. Nothing else. It doesnt matter if its sexy, exciting or good to watch. He just needs to get the job done. And becuase of that we need a pragmatic, adaptable manager. Not one who will stubbornly stick to ideological footballing ethos.

Let's give the poor bugger a chance. Yes he looks like hes eaten a space cake but who cares. And who cares he managed Forest. Wes Morgan was from Forest.

Edited 21 June by Mr.Bingles
spelling

[Foxin_Mad]

1 minute ago, goose2010 said:

The back 5 (other than Justin) we / are horrendous footballers. That's how we lost. 

Even with that back 5 we still should have won that game. Rodgers is an idiot. Thats how we lost! 

 

 

[Finnegan]

26 minutes ago, FoxinNotts said:

look at those line ups, on paper, and look how his team battered us!

 

 

They cared. 

 

[goose2010]

3 minutes ago, Foxin_Mad said:

Even with that back 5 we still should have won that game. Rodgers is an idiot. Thats how we lost! 

 

 

Agree with BR comments but that team wouldnt have beat championship clubs. Plus the fact no of them really gave a shit about LCFC and its why the majoirty of them arent here now. 

[FoxinNotts]

1 minute ago, Finnegan said:

 

They cared. 

 

And to be fair to Cooper, we can talk a lot about tactics, but he is know for building team spirit and galvanising clubs in general

It's a massive thing in the game. A real positive.

[Finnegan]

Just now, FoxinNotts said:

And to be fair to Cooper, we can talk a lot about tactics, but he is know for building team spirit and galvanising clubs in general

It's a massive thing in the game. A real positive.

 

Tbf it's hard to imagine someone worse at this than Brendan Rodgers. 

 

[Foxin_Mad]

1 minute ago, goose2010 said:

Agree with BR comments but that team wouldnt have beat championship clubs. Plus the fact no of them really gave a shit about LCFC and its why the majoirty of them arent here now. 

True, I cant stand Faes to be honest, id sell him to anyone we can. To be honest the more I think about it if Cooper can build a team with a bit of steel, it might actually be quite good.

[Deeg67]

I think Kristiansen is a real player, and he was never getting a sniff under Enzo. Cooper may have him as one of the first names on the team sheet.