Leicester City

Marissa Thomas
BBC Sport journalist

Leicester City boss Steve Cooper has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game at Manchester United (kick-off 14:00).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Forward Bobby De Cordova-Reid picked up "quite a nasty wound on his Achilles" in the League Cup match against Manchester United 10 days ago and remains "doubtful" for the weekend.

• On whether 10 points from 10 games is a good return for Leicester: "We have to have the mentality that we can do better. It's been a decent start but I also know that we can get better and hopefully we'll have more points from the next 10 games. Me personally and the guys will always want more. The ambition is to be higher [than 15th place]. I'm always going to say that I want more because that is the elite world of the Premier League."

• He wants his side to "believe big": "We've got to think big but at the same time we have got to make it happen. Let's go into the next 10 games looking to be better than the previous."

• On Jordan Ayew's impact since joining in the summer: "We knew that we needed to bring in Premier League experience to add to what was already here. We've always been delighted that Jordan is with us because of the level he plays at and knowing what it takes to be a Premier League player. It comes in abundance with him. He's hard working and is very much about the team and the greater good."

• Cooper expanded on what Ayew brings to the Foxes: "It can't be about individuals just looking after themselves, it's got to be about what is right for the team and Jordan is a good example of that. Some really important moments so far from him and I'm sure some to come in the future as well."

• On facing Manchester United again so quickly after the last encounter: "It was a League Cup game and now it’s in the league. They’ve got a few players back and that makes a difference. Whenever you play Man Utd, home or away, you come up against a team with talented players."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Full commentary of Manchester United v Leicester City from 14:00 GMT on Sunday on BBC Radio 5 Live

Guess the former Leicester player from their Premier League statistics at the club:

• Years at club: 2015-2018

• National team: Germany

• Position: Defender

• Appearances: 82

• Goals: 6

Answer will be revealed at 17:00 GMT

The latest episode of the When You're Smiling podcast has landed.

Owynn Palmer-Atkin is joined by former Foxes defender Michael Morrison and Leicester fan Iain Wright to assess the season with 10 Premier League matches gone.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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Leicester left-back Victor Kristiansen says the team have shown "great spirit and mentality" in coming back to earn points in recent games.

The Foxes have fallen behind in eight of their 10 Premier League matches this season, but have come back on four occasions to get a win and three draws.

It was once again a goal deep into added time last weekend that saw them get a point from their trip to fellow promoted side Ipswich Town.

"It's not been going our way in the first 10 games, but we have shown a great spirit and mentality of trying to come back," the Denmark international told BBC East Midlands.

"Sometimes it happens, but sometimes we sit in the dressing room afterwards frustrated with how we started the game.

"In life when you fall down, you really learn how to pick yourself up and we have shown that.

"Now is about staying on top of that and not going behind, but we know that when we go behind we know how to pick ourselves up."

While it took some time for Leicester to find a first victory on their return to the top flight, they sit 15th in the table after 10 games, five points above the relegation zone.

With a number of players in the squad having played in the league previously, Kristiansen feels this is something that will help the team in staying up this campaign.

"The majority of the team has great Premier League experience," he said. "I think it gives some kind of comfort within the team.

"There are players that have tried it before, been to the big stadiums before, tried to play up against the dominating teams, so it is about taking the experience from those guys."

Image source, Getty Images

Leicester are one of two teams, along with Manchester City, to have scored in all 10 of their Premier League games so far this season. Only in 2018-19 (first 11) and their 2015-16 title-winning campaign (17) have they had a longer streak from the start of a season in the competition.

Each of Leicester's past four Premier League away games have seen a result-altering goal scored in the 90th minute (including stoppage time), the longest such run in the competition's history.

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Leicester have already proved they can score goals - the problem has been at the other end.

The Foxes, along with Manchester City, are the only side to have scored in every league game this season. They have the same amount (14) as East Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest, who are third, but have struggled to keep the ball out.

Only the bottom three, West Ham and Brentford have conceded more than Leicester's 18 this season.

They were also exposed when losing 5-2 to Manchester United in the Carabao Cup last week and they return to Old Trafford on Sunday seeking defensive stability and improvement.

As impressive as Mads Hermansen has been in goal, he has managed just one clean sheet, in the 1-0 win over Bournemouth last month.

Steve Cooper's side have made 284 clearances this season, a league high and illustrative of how much they are having to repel this season.

For comparison, Forest are second with 261 but have the second-best defence in the division.

Leicester need to find a way to be more resilient.

Chris Forryan
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Not all new signings can fit into their new teams like slipping on an old comfy shoe.

For every Wesley Fofana there is a Jannik Vestergaard. Caglar Soyuncu certainly benefited from having a season to bed in before Harry Maguire's move to Manchester United paid for our training ground.

Vestergaard would go on to become the target of the boo boys, unfair when he was bought by a manager who didn’t even play the formation or style that suited the player he had wanted.

Now I am not saying that Brendan Rodgers couldn’t find a diamond in an Ernest Jones shop, but he would go on to sign a certain Boubakary Soumare from Lille on a five-year contract, a few months after they won Ligue 1.

A defensive midfielder that was not the box-to-box midfielder that Rodgers wanted or seemed to think he was - poor performances and to be honest little game time saw him shipped out to Seville despite being part of the Community Shield winning squad.

Fast forward, and after a ‘re-born’ season under Maresca, a returning Vestergaard, replacing the booked Caleb Okoli on the 71st minute in the Carabao Cup game against Manchester Utd was greeted by cheers and "thank gods" in my watchalong chat, while Soumare, who played the whole match, was also garnishing some compliments.

Coming on for an under-performing Wilfred Ndidi against Ipswich at the weekend, Soumare would go on to have a huge hand in the equaliser. Chasing down an attacking Ipswich player, fighting to get the ball, winning it, shrugging off an attempted tackle before passing it to Ayew who played a one two with Vardy, and well we know what happened. It was a goal that would not have happened without Soumare’s tenacity in midfield.

If Soumare can turn his Leicester career like Vestergaard has done, we may just have the midfield enforcer we so desperately need.

Find more from Chris Forryan at Leicester Till I Die, external

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Owynn Palmer-Atkin and Matt Piper have been speaking about Leicester manager Steve Cooper's performance on the When You' re Smiling podcast.

Former Leicester player Matt Piper said: "He's the gaffer [Cooper] and I like my gaffer to be confident and talk his side up.

"I still don’t quite think his blueprint is there for this team, but if it’s there, I don’t think it’s at a level that it has been for a number of years.

"The thing I was really impressed with at the weekend is the resilience of the side and they have shown that a number of times under Steve Cooper.

"I still don’t think it's the full system that he wants to play. I don’t think the full 11 that they have out there have been at the top of their game all together."

Piper also discussed Leicester midfielder Boubakary Soumare: "When he is in a Leicester shirt, you are thinking, what is he doing in the team? The players and crowd will see how good he is in the training ground but when he’s playing they will be thinking, 'he’s going to be a passenger because that is what history tells us'.

"But Steve Cooper comes in and gives him cameo appearances. You think 'there is a player in there'. I think it's a confidence thing. Confidence can do miraculous things for a player."

The podcast also features an interview with Leicester midfielder Harry Winks after the 1-1 draw against Ipswich and he also looked to the fixture against Manchester United this weekend: "We like to think that we would be in a better position by now points wise and in the table. We are not in the the worst position, but with the quality that we have in the dressing room, it's disappointing.

"I think United are in a transition period with the managers. We played them the other day and it was a strange game.

"We are a good team, its important we go into the game with the mentality that we are not the underdogs [of the Premier League] but with the mentality of why not go in and impose, control the game and try and go there and compete."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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Former Leicester striker Matty Fryatt spoke to the When You're Smiling podcast about Jordan Ayew's role in Steve Cooper's side: He's getting a reputation for it [being impactful off the bench] which is a good habit to have. Sometimes defences get tired and you can exploit them spaces when you come on.

"You have to come on with the mentality of trying to make a difference if the game isn't going to plan. Whatever it is, can you be a game-changer, not just someone who is seeing out time?

"He's very much part of a squad and we have picked up four points from his goals and made a huge difference. Sometimes he may start, but if he is coming on and doing it then so be it. Aston Villa have the same conundrum with [Ollie] Watkins and [Jhon] Duran coming on.

"He's getting the chances and finishing well. I don't put him down as a finisher, more of a link player - but he's proving to be so key."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Ipswich and Leicester.

Here are some of your comments:

Ipswich fans:

Mike: Ipswich were brilliant - measured in play, aggressive, forward thinking, first to every ball. Unfortunately the ref and VAR were against us again - second home game in a row no penalty given. I'm sure we will have an apology from PGMOL like last time. Unfortunately doesn't give us the points back.

James: This was a big improvement on recent performances, with Town producing plenty of heart, a firm defence and a considerable threat going forward. We would have won the game nine times out of 10. It is a travesty we aren't coming away talking about Leif Davis' wonder goal but instead - yet again - discussing a sub-standard refereeing display.

Oli: Good Ipswich performance but poor (again) from referee and VAR. Almost every foul on Ipswich went unnoticed yet trying to book almost every player in the Ipswich line-up. Philips has to be more astute when on a yellow. Turned the game.

Paula: Should have been a penalty to Chaplin (right in front of us). No idea why VAR wasn't consulted. Should have been a free-kick to Morsy just before the goal. Didn't see the red card incident so can't comment on that. Ipswich were much the better side for the vast majority of the game.

Leicester fans:

Neil: Leicester got away with a result. Until the red card, Ipswich were the better team and Leicester struggled to show any real quality going forward. After the red card, the game changed and Leicester could have won it. A decent away point but not a great performance.

Simon: Not good enough again. We can't rely on scraping a point in added on time. We need to change our team selection and style. Cooper is out of his depth to compete at this level. The sooner the club sees this the better.

Wayne: We're still trying to establish our best 11, or 14, since being back in the Premier League. Post-Maresca's chess-style system was always going to be tough, and Cooper is trying his best to find that team. We lack transitioning from midfield to high-quality goalscoring opportunities around and in the box. The sending off was pivotal.

Narcis: This was an important point for the Foxes in a relegation battle. Now on course to stay up in the PL!

Tom Gayle
BBC Final Score reporter at Portman Road

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I do not think too many Leicester City fans would have been overly excited by the summer signing of Jordan Ayew.

Throughout his 10 previous individual seasons in the Premier League, including spells at Aston Villa, Swansea and Crystal Palace, the Ghana international has never reached double figures for goals and has only once registered more than four assists during a single campaign.

What the 33-year-old does bring, however, is a consistent level of performance. Twelve months ago, the then Palace boss Roy Hodgson described the £2.5m deal for Ayew as one of the "best signings" the club have ever made. He added: "You can always rely upon him to give you 100 percent, both in his attacking play and his defending play and I think, as players often do, as they get older and more experienced, they bring further aspects to their game which makes them better still."

During what has been a solid, but far from specular start from Leicester, Ayew has already twice sent their supporters home with the much desired away day buzz following his 94th minute equaliser at Ipswich and 98th-minute winner at Southampton.

Both goals were scored after being introduced from the bench late on. Following his most recent heroics, manager Steve Cooper said Ayew will not want his Leicester career to be defined as a "super sub", but acknowledged the difficulty he faces in being selected to start ahead of Stephy Mavididi, Abdul Fatawu, or Jamie Vardy.

I imagine no footballer dreams of being defined as solid, reliable and consistent, but when it comes to career longevity at the highest level, those labels do not appear to have done Ayew's reputation any harm whatsoever.

Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Saturday's seven Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Liverpool 2-1 Brighton

• Wolves 2-2 Crystal Palace

The latest episode of BBC Radio Leicester's When You're Smiling podcast has landed. Hear post match analysis from former striker Matty Fryatt and reaction from Leicester boss Steve Cooper to the Foxes' draw with Ipswich.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Marissa Thomas
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

With 86 minutes on the clock and Leicester losing 1-0 against fellow newly-promoted side Ipswich Town, boss Steve Cooper decided to take action.

Cooper, served a one-match suspension after receiving his third yellow card of the season when his side lost at Manchester United in the EFL Cup in midweek, and perhaps his view from the stands helped give him a better view of proceedings on the field.

Forward Jordan Ayew came on as a substitute for defender Victor Kristiansen and scored in the 94th minute of the match to justify Cooper's bold move and rescue a point for the away side.

Both of Ayew's Premier League goals this season have come in second-half stoppage time (in the 98th minute at Southampton, and 94th at Ipswich).

If Leicester are to remain in the league, picking up points against such opposition will be vital - especially ahead of another tough trip to Old Trafford next Sunday (14:00 GMT).

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Leicester boss Steve Cooper spoke to Premier League Productions after today's victory: "We've shown that more than once this season, it's a good sign you can bring people off and can still make an impact in the game. On the performance, when we were good, we were superior. There were moments when we weren't good. They scored an excellent goal. I think the game was always going to be determined by the level we played at.

"We allowed Ipswich spells to get some momentum in the game. We kept going and I felt like that goal was coming. I felt like we deserved to win but it's a miles better result for us than it is for them."

On striking experience: "They know it could be a chaotic moment right at the end. Fair to play them. You need that. it's a tough one not starting Jordan Ayew because of his experience and the level he's played at for a number of years. It's good to have the options."

On being in the stands: "It wasn't the worst experience of my life. You see it a lot clearer. It's not a bad thing not being in touching distance of the officials. You don't want to be up there. We managed it well I felt."

Image source, Getty Images

Leicester striker Jordan Ayew has been speaking to Sky Sports after his last-gasp equaliser: "It was a difficult game. I think a draw is a fair result. When you play this type of game, it's difficult away from home. It was always going to be difficult and we managed to come away with a draw. We take it and move on.

"When you're on the bench, you want to come on and make an impact and help the team. It doesn't happen every time. It worked today. When I came on, I had a first chance and it was cleared on the line. I had another one and it went in with a bit of luck.

"It was important because we knew it was a difficult game. We wanted to win of course. We take it and on to the next one."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Ipswich’s performance, external

What did you make of Leicester’s display?, external

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this season, against a variety of guests.

For week 10 he takes on The Piano TV series winner Brad Kella.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

I said last week that I was never going to predict another Ipswich win again this season, but I have changed my mind.

I have got to say that they were very unlucky to lose against Brentford last time out. They deserved more from that game.

I know Alan Shearer highlighted on Match of the Day how bad their stats are - they are ranked last in the Premier League for shots, expected goals and touches in opposition box, and second-last for shots on target, goals conceded and errors leading to goals, but they started so well in that game, going 2-0 up.

To then find themselves trailing 3-2 and down to 10 men is bad enough, but then they got themselves level late on, before being beaten in stoppage time when Bryan Mbeumo's cross crept in. That kind of defeat is going to be tough for them to take.

I am not absolutely convinced about Leicester either but, if Ipswich don't win this time, then I am not sure what it will do to their confidence.

Life in the top flight has been difficult enough for them so far, and I think they are going down anyway, but unless they get three points soon you start to wonder whether they will beat anyone.

Brad's prediction: 1-2

I like Leicester and they can win there, I think they’ve got to.

Read the full predictions and have your say

Seven matches make up Saturday's Premier League action, and we will bring you every moment.

• Newcastle v Arsenal - 12:30

• Bournemouth v Manchester City

• Ipswich v Leicester

• Liverpool v Brighton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Nottingham Forest v West Ham

• Southampton v Everton

• Wolves v Crystal Palace - 17:30 - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction

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Leicester City have faced more shots than any other side in the Premier League this season (168).