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.
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