Tottenham Hotspur are expected at the King Power Stadium on Monday evening (kick-off: 8 p.m.) for the Foxes’ first top-flight game since May 2023, and before the encounter with Ange Postecoglou’s team, City Manager spoke to the media in his first pre-match press conference as coach of the Foxes …
“Cooperation”
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As excitement builds ahead of the new season, the hard work will continue on and off the field, Cooper confirmed, leaving no stone unturned to be as competitive as possible when the first whistle blows.
He told reporters from the club’s training ground in Seagrave: “I’ve had a few pre-seasons now and I went into some of them full of confidence. Then maybe I didn’t get off to the start I expected. And I’ve had the opposite as well, where we didn’t get up to the level in pre-season but started the season a lot better than I thought we would.
“You never know for sure until the game starts. What I do know is that the boys made a great comeback last year by winning the league and getting back into the Premier League. They are really looking forward to applying their work in the Premier League now.”
“We are trying to repeat what the boys achieved last year, with a stronger team and squad for the Premier League. Everyone is working hard to get where we want to be, but some things have not gone as we would have liked.
“If we can complement and support what is already good at the club then we hope we can achieve that. Every season you want to strengthen, you want to get stronger when you get promoted from the Championship, you want to change – every club is the same. We are no different and we are still going through that process but the club works together.
“We really believe in the guys who are here. We are giving them everything. They are feeling good and we hope that we can take this good feeling and this good work into the new season. There is a real excitement and a good atmosphere to be back in the league and that is the most important thing for us.
“There is also a strong motivation to show their worth again and I think that is the feeling across the club, myself included. We now need to channel all that into Monday night and from there on.”
“Positive vibrations”
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Cooper has no illusions about the task ahead, not just on Monday but for the entire season, but he is convinced that a positive mood at the club and the momentum of promotion can help start the 2024/25 season on a good footing.
“We’re really just concentrating on Monday night because that’s the only thing we can influence,” the 44-year-old continued. “That’s where our focus and motivation lies. There’s a really positive atmosphere on the training ground.”
“I can’t wait to get back. The club always comes first but the Premier League is a great place to be. I’ve missed it, there’s no doubt about that. It’s an exciting challenge, a good challenge and it’s been a good pre-season as we’ve made our way to becoming a Premier League team. So we’re really looking forward to continuing that challenge as we start the next step of the season.
“This is a hard-working and collaborative group of players, which is natural and normal after a successful season. We want to maintain a lot of that while balancing the challenges of the Premier League and what may need to be changed and adapted, because that is obviously completely different.”
“It’s a huge step. We have a good mix of some guys who have been there before and are returning to the Premier League, and players who are here for the first time. That creates a nice personal motivation that is linked to the team goals.
“It’s always like that, there’s always something to prove and a goal to strive for. It’s good for each other to understand each other’s stories too, because that’s how you become a team and support each other. Everything is geared towards being ready, but time will tell.”
“Have influence”
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Without both Jamie Vardy And Patson Daka Injuries mean that City will have to look elsewhere for scoring opportunities against a Lilywhites who are a serious threat themselves and Cooper urged everyone to step up their attacking game against a top opponent.
The Leicester manager explained: “As far as number 9 is concerned, the situation ahead of this game is not ideal, but we need to find a solution and the right strategy for the game plan to ensure that we can pose a threat to Spurs on Monday.”
“We have to believe in the way we play and the things we do and that they can have a massive impact on the game, including in the top half of the pitch and in creating and scoring goals.
“It’s not just the striker. They can be the focal point, but it’s about how you get them there and get other guys to the top of the pitch. We’ve got enough players who are more than capable of doing that. Let’s hope we can come up with the right plan to get the best out of them.
“Spurs are obviously a really good team and play very defined, with some positions on the pitch really fixed and others very variable. We are fully aware of that and need to make sure we are prepared for it.
“We’re playing at home, it’s the first game of the season. We’ve worked incredibly hard to get back into the league and continued that in pre-season, so we really want to focus on what we can do to have the right impact on the game and that’s our focus.”
“Of course Spurs have some brilliant players and a really good manager, but that’s the way it is every week in the Premier League. You have to understand what your opponents are doing, but that can never be more important than what you want to do yourself. That’s exactly our attitude.”
