Leicester City sack manager Cooper after 12 league games
Leicester City sack manager Steve Cooper with the club 16th in the Premier League after 12 games.
In the latest episode of When You're Smiling, former Leicester defender Matt Heath analyses the home defeat to Aston Villa, plus hear reaction from Foxes boss Steve Cooper.
Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds
Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport Football News Reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesLeicester boss Steve Cooper criticised the standard of refereeing and believes it is "behind the curve" in the Premier League.
The Foxes manager was unhappy with several decisions by official David Coote in their 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday.
Goals from Amadou Onana and Jhon Duran gave Villa victory, with Facundo Buonanotte pulling one back for the hosts.
Cooper was booked for protesting when Leicester were not awarded a penalty after Jamie Vardy went down under a challenge by Youri Tielemans.
There were several other decisions the Foxes were unhappy with, including the decision to penalise Oliver Skipp for bringing down Ollie Watkins for the free-kick which led to Villa's opener.
"Everybody in the stadium would have got booked if the ref had got round to it. I’ve accepted refereeing is where it is," Cooper said.
"You see it clearly that it’s behind the curve, the Premier League is the best league in the world in terms of domestic football but the refereeing, for a number of years, has been trying to catch up with that.
"You accept this is how it is and this is part of our modern game. You just keep fingers crossed because of where refereeing is. You keep your fingers crossed every week it doesn’t go against you.
"You can talk about isolated decisions but what I will talk about is the managers' meeting we had in pre-season, the club visits you have from referees, the FA, LMA and Premier League.
"The clear message was the threshold of tackles and duels, although we never want the game to be dangerous, was going to be raised.
"Then we get that. Then it’s just another reminder of we are where we are with refereeing."
Matthew Howarth
BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty ImagesLeicester were pushing for a late equaliser against Aston Villa on Saturday, but ultimately Steve Cooper's side paid the price for a slow start at King Power Stadium.
Villa would have been out of sight at half-time had it not been for goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, who denied Ollie Watkins on several occasions in the first half.
Amadou Onana's goal was the difference between the teams at the interval, and Jhon Duran doubled Villa's lead against the run of play to leave the Foxes staring at a second successive top-flight defeat.
Facundo Buonanotte gave them hope with his first goal for the club, but it was too little, too late for Steve Cooper's side - who were unhappy with referee David Coote in the second half.
The official had already ruled out a Jamie Vardy effort after Harry Winks' pass had struck him in the build-up, but he incurred the wrath of the home supporters again when he failed to award Leicester a penalty after Vardy had gone down under Ezri Konsa's challenge.
Vardy appeared to be just offside from Bilal El Khannouss's through-ball, but Coote still left the field to a chorus of boos at the full-time whistle.
Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport Football News Reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesLeicester's commitment and grit will never be in doubt.
They were applauded off after Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa and the unity at the King Power Stadium will be something which will help this season but moments of quality are sparse.
Boss Steve Cooper bemoaned the fine margins which have seen the Foxes lose their last two games and believes Leicester have shown they can compete in the top flight again.
Trips to Crystal Palace and Arsenal do not make it any easier so there will already - externally at least - be a growing focus on Everton's visit on 21 September.
On Saturday Leicester did not do enough to trouble Villa and, while they may take issue with the award of the free kick which led to Amadou Onana's opener, they switched off at crucial times.
Yes, Facundo Buonanotte made it a contest before the end but the ruthlessness Cooper had called for was missing.
Villa were not at their best which makes the defeat even more frustrating, with the only moments of quality the goals. But those are the fine margins Leicester need to bridge and on Saturday it proved too much.
The game was similar to the opening 1-1 draw with Tottenham, where Leicester grew into the game, but, this time, there are no rewards.
They have, at least, not faced those who may be considered relegation rivals and there will be no panic setting in.
Image source, Getty ImagesSince keeping three consecutive clean sheets at the King Power in October 2022, Leicester have failed to keep one in any of their last 15 home Premier League games.
Only between February 1939 and February 1955 have the Foxes gone longer without a home clean sheet in the top-flight (a run of 22 games).
Image source, Getty ImagesLeicester manager Steve Cooper, speaking to Match of the Day: "I thought we looked a good team at times today. We definitely didn’t deserve to lose the game. For the first goal, we need to own the set play – but it should never have been a free-kick.
"We’ve not just gone toe-to-toe with a Champions League team, we’ve also looked a better team than them. It’s a tough one to take. It’s three games now without a win, which is obviously not what we wanted.
"In the three games we’ve seen, we’ve seen more than enough in the performances to feel like we’re going to be OK [in the Premier League]. We’re disappointed with the defeat, but if we stay as we are and improve in areas we want to, we’ll be all right."
On referee David Coote: "It’s just something that you accept. That’s how it is across the league. When you see it a bit more casually, you notice it even more. It’s something you have to contend with, but you take a deep breath and accept that’s how it is.
"You’ll tell by the reaction of the supporters. We had a managers’ meeting at the start of the season about the threshold of challenges. The threshold is going to be higher, and today was the complete opposite."
Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?
Leicester fans, have your say on the Foxes' performance, external
What did you make of the display, Villa fans?, external
Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies
There are seven Premier League games this Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you all the action and reaction throughout the day.
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BBC Radio 5 Live match commentaries:
Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this season, against a variety of guests.
For week three, he takes on MOBO Award-winning drum & bass legend and producer Adam F.
Sutton's prediction: 1-3
I think Leicester have got their work cut out against Villa, they were lucky to get a point against Tottenham.
To be fair, they were resilient against Fulham but deservedly lost the game. I think it is going to be a long season for them.
I think Villa will bounce back and Ollie Watkins will get his shooting boots on. Morgan Rodgers looks super sharp for them.
Adam F's prediction: 1-2
I am expecting Villa to have another good season.
The three promoted teams all splashed some of their Premier League cash to try to improve their chances of staying up.
Ipswich and Southampton have both spent more than £100m, while Leicester paid out more than £75m.
Ipswich spent £109m on 10 players - seven of whom are from Premier League clubs including Chelsea's Omari Hutchinson, who joined for £20m after a successful loan.
Southampton's signings, which included the deadline-day arrival of Ramsdale, were from a wider variety of divisions.
Leicester, meanwhile, recruited exclusively from top divisions - with four of their seven signings from the Premier League and one from each of the Italian, Portuguese and Belgian leagues.
Image source, Getty ImagesOdsonne Edouard believes Leicester City "has what it takes to be successful" this season and has vowed to "work hard to do everything to support" his new team.
The 26-year-old striker has joined on a season-long loan from fellow Premier League outfit Crystal Palace and will provide Foxes boss Steve Cooper with more forward options during the 2024-25 campaign.
Speaking to the club after signing his contract, Edouard said: "I can't wait to get started. I'm really excited to be joining a team like Leicester City and to do what I can to help the team in the Premier League this season.
"There is a fantastic squad here and I'm confident that the team has what it takes to be successful.
"I'll be working hard to make sure I do everything I can to support my team and to show the fans what I can do on the pitch."
