‘Bring A Good Performance’ – Cooper On Man Utd Challenge
While all the outside noise ahead of the fourth round tie – a 7:45pm GMT kick-off at Old Trafford - has been on the hosts’ change of manager, with Ruud van Nistelrooy appointed as interim head coach following Erik ten Hag’s departure, there has been an emphasis on keeping attention fixed on how City can impact the game in the build-up to the fixture.
‘A really good challenge’
Speaking in his pre-match briefing with the media on Tuesday, Cooper discussed the messaging from within the Foxes camp and how they will be taking their own approach to trying to reach the last eight.
He told reporters: “What we’re doing now is preparing for a cup game and a chance to get to the quarter-finals and a game that we really want to bring a good performance to get us through to the next round.
“I’m sure the atmosphere will be really good tomorrow and we’ve got to try and thrive in that moment. That’s what we’ve been talking about in the past day or so. We’re looking forward to getting down there.
“When you come up against a change in manager, it’s a really good challenge to show how good your own work is as a team, in terms of your ideas of play, both with and without the ball, because really, if you get it right, you should be able to adapt to anything that you face and that will be no different tomorrow.
“Manchester United have got brilliant players who can make a difference in every area of the pitch, both with and without the ball and we have to be ready for that. We also know that we have players who can have good moments as well and impacts on the game. We’ve got to make sure that we take that opportunity.
“We believe that if we get our game right, it can have a positive influence on any game we play. Of course, you have to understand the opponents and dangerous players and everything else which forms a game plan, but the biggest part of our game plan is that our game becomes a dominant factor in every match that we play.
“There’s always context to a game and this one is the change from league to cup and the change in manager with an interim going in. That can add to the atmosphere and we’re very aware of that, but it hasn’t changed our objective and what we want to do in the game and that’s the bit we can influence. We’re focused on ourselves and how we get us right for the game.”
‘Make it a positive night’
City will not be looking too far ahead despite a meeting with Ipswich Town looming on the horizon this Saturday, another important Premier League fixture coming less than 72 hours after the trip to Old Trafford. As a result, rotating personnel in key areas of the pitch will be considered, Cooper revealed.
He continued: “The difference with this one is that it’s an away game and then we go away again to Ipswich at the weekend, so it’s times like this where it’s good that you have a squad. It gives you decisions to make and, if we feel like we need to, utilise the squad over the two games, then we will do that.
“It’s one game at a time. We want to win every game that we play and all focus is on tomorrow and making sure we really commit to what is required to make it a positive night. We’re striving every day to improve and knowing that when we get to the levels we know we can get to, it will be really positive.”
‘Stay on task’
Cooper is aiming to use the defeat against Nottingham Forest last time out as fuel to reach the levels that saw the Foxes claim back-to-back Premier League victories prior to that loss at King Power Stadium.
“It was a set-back but if you look at the Forest game and the Southampton game, they are probably great examples of what will come in the future this season,” the 44-year-old added. “We will have games where we get really good results and the world feels like a brilliant place and we’ll get the opposite like we had against Forest.
“That’s the nature of the league that we’re playing in and where we’re at. What we’ve got to do is make sure that we stay on task and stay on track, which we are doing. We’re really disappointed with how we let the game slip away from us on Friday because at half-time, it was really there to take advantage and get a win, and we didn’t do that.
“That was disheartening, especially when I watched the game back, but we have to accept it, as difficult as that is, because we never want to accept defeat too easily, but make sure that it doesn’t deter us from the journey that we’re on.
“That journey will be full of ups and downs, there’s no doubt about that. I’ve experienced it before and I know whatever has gone before has only got to be used to make you stronger going forward, whether it’s good, bad or indifferent and that’s what we’re really committed to this week.”