‘A Test To Embrace’ – Cooper On Facing Chelsea
The Foxes will be without the likes of Abdul Fatawu and Ricardo Pereira, with doubts around the fitness of Jordan Ayew and Bobby De Cordova-Reid, although both Patson Daka and Jamie Vardy have trained, boosting the forward options at the Welshman’s disposal.
Ahead of Saturday’s encounter with the Blues, a 12:30pm GMT kick-off at King Power Stadium, Cooper’s pre-match briefing with the media centred around maintaining a positive mindset in the camp.
‘Adapt and evolve’
Making use of the final international break of the calendar year to work with members of the squad not travelling away with their countries, City’s Manager was keen to assess the beginning of the Premier League campaign and identify how to progress and move forward ahead of the festive period.
“You have to use the time wisely,” he explained. “It’s a less intense week in terms of preparing and recovering from games. The guys who are here, you have to train them well and give them a good programme, including physical maintenance.
“But it also allows extra time to do some reviewing and regrouping and reflecting and then planning to go forward. You do that with the wider staff. Data can have an impact now and it just gives you the headspace to go through that for when we recommence.
“There’s a lot of similarities in terms of seeing the team last year to this year but there’s some obvious differences as well. The best way to deal with it is what I’m demanding of the players every day. That’s where we’ll be, first and foremost.
“We look at the things that are going well, and the things that need improving and adapt and evolve to progress into a busy period.”
‘The focus has to be on us’
Chelsea sit third in the table heading into the weekend and Cooper identified consistency as one of the Blues’ main strengths, with a settled Premier League XI able to produce the clear style that Maresca, who enjoyed Championship title success with Leicester last season, has looked to implement since his appointment at Stamford Bridge in the summer.
The 44-year-old continued: “Enzo [Maresca] did a brilliant job last season in getting the Club back to the Premier League and it is no easy task, regardless of the expectations of a team and club at the start of the season. That needs to be respected.
“He’s had a more than strong start to his tenure at Chelsea. The Championship and Premier League are not ones to be compared but this weekend we’re coming up against a big club and a talented team with a real good coach who has a clear identity.
“There’s always context to the opponent you play and this is a tough game for sure. A lot of things have been said about the investment, but we come against a high performing team and one we need to be at our best against.
“You saw early on last season; some new players have come and just by being in the Premier League you become yourself and the level that you are. That comes with time. You see it with so many new players who come to the Premier League.
“Time is the best form of getting to the level. Some get there quicker than others. You know what team you will be facing on the weekend, barring one or two changes and maybe that’s a change. Previously, in the last year or so, you might not know which [Chelsea] team you face.
“It’s a game that will be a real test but one we need to embrace and be ready for. We’re in the planning now and we’ve got to get King Power Stadium ready to kick off. The focus has got to be on us with and without the ball to get the momentum and success we want in the game.”
‘We want more’
Reflecting on the season so far, which has seen City pick up two wins and four draws in their opening 11 matches, Cooper says that while everyone is conscious of the difficulties of entering the division as a newly promoted club, the quest for improvement goes on as they continue to fight for every point available.
He added: “I knew how hard this challenge was going to be on and off the pitch this year and that has proven to be exactly that. We’re fully aware of the environment we’re working in, in the Premier League and in the Club. When you look back, it’s been a bit of everything.
“In bits we’ve done well, with some decent results and sometimes we’ve had the opposite of that. The league position is okay, but we want more. That’s got to be the aim.
“Of course, for a lot of promoted teams coming into the Premier League, it’s about the first objective to stay in the league, because history tells you how hard that is, but we’ve got other objectives that we want to achieve.
“We want to think big while not losing sight of how tough this season is proving to be and will be going forward. That’s the best bit, the excitement. I know I’m at my best when I’ve got my back against the wall and we’ve got to make sure the team is like that as well.
“There’s been real successes when there’s things to fight for. That’s been the case since I walked through the door. We’re enjoying it; while knowing it will be full of ups and downs.”