How Leicester City could line up under Steve Cooper with two systems explained

Take a closer look at Steve Cooper’s 56 Premier League games in charge of Nottingham Forest and there are a remarkable number of line-up changes.

Leicester City have been accustomed to a set-up under Enzo Maresca, the Italian dedicated to his form, with a few odd details changed between games. But Forest under Cooper would switch between systems and styles quite regularly every few months.

Sometimes it was a case of adapting to the quality of the opposition, sometimes it was a case of trying something new in an attempt to stop the club’s slipping form. With a number of new signings to manage, it may also have been a case of trying to find the best combination of players.

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All these cuts and changes mean it’s unclear how City will line up if Cooper takes the reins. It could be the case that he should assess the squad in pre-season before making any decisions about how City play.

However, we’ve taken two of Cooper’s most prominent set-ups from his time at the City Ground and analyzed how Leicester’s squad, as it stands, might fit into them. Tell us your favorite lineup in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

3-4-1-2

The formation Cooper used to guide Forest to promotion, which he initially tried on their return to the Premier League and returned to occasionally, was a 3-4-1-2 or some variation of it. In the Championship, and in the early days of the club’s return to the Premier League, the focus was on attack, with full-backs roaming the flanks and a lot of progressive football being played. In the more difficult moments, the three-at-the-back system often dropped into a back-five as Forest played in a deep jam.

If Cooper is willing to be adventurous, there are players in the City squad to make the 3-4-1-2 shape work. For starters, there are plenty of centre-backs to form a strong back three, each with qualities in possession or driving the ball forward.

Jannik Vestergaard and Conor Coady are candidates for the central position, while Wout Faes could play on the left of the trio, with Harry Souttar potentially brought back into the fold on the right. Ben Nelson is also an option.

On the wing, James Justin, whose attacking instincts were limited by Maresca’s system, would be perfect for the job on the right, while Victor Kristiansen, back from a loan at Bologna, could do the same on the left. For a forward-thinking, technically gifted midfield pairing, Cooper would have Harry Winks and Ricardo Pereira to choose from.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall would take over from Morgan Gibbs-White behind the two strikers, a key position to make the system work. But while City have three strikers to choose from for the two front positions in Jamie Vardy, Patson Daka and Tom Cannon, their similarities could mean Stephy Mavididi is linked with Vardy.

This form doesn’t really allow for players, so it would be difficult to slot Abdul Fatawu into the side if he were to sign, as expected, from Sporting Lisbon. Although, his defensive commitment shown last season means he can play at full-back in games where City are on the front foot.

4-3-3

When Cooper tried a back four at Forest, it was usually in the form of a 4-3-3 and so looked very similar to the system City played under Maresca en route to the Championship title. But there were some key differences.

Ordinarily, Cooper would opt for a deep and narrow midfield trio in such a set-up to focus on containing the opposition. Dewsbury-Hall would be too good to leave out and has the work-rate and danger awareness to play deeper, but someone more physical such as the returning Boubakary Soumare could also be deployed there. Wilfred Ndidi, should he sign a new contract, would be ideal, while Hamza Choudhury, most often used as a full-back under Maresca, could provide a bit of a stir there too.

The front three also played narrowly, with Gibbs-White often used as a left-back but coming on regularly. Under Maresca, the inside two were ordered to stay on the touchline and spread the opposing defence, creating space for the two midfielders to run through the centre.

As things stand, with Fatawu’s arrival unconfirmed, Mavididi and Kasey McAteer would be the best options alongside Vardy up front. But Dewsbury-Hall could also be pushed up, with the instruction to go into attack, then allowing for another more defensive player in the midfield trio.