Leicester need leaders - Conor Coady could be the answer to our 45-minute problem
With Leicester City in need of leadership to maintain high standards throughout the 90 minutes, is it finally time to turn to the non-playing captain of the second XI?
In his second article for TFW, Simon Birch presents the case for Conor Coady.
It happens now and again. It’s a natural part of a “game of two halves”, but 9 games into this season it’s surely no fluke that we’ve got seen a huge discrepancy between the first and second halves in every match this season.
There are lots of things that could be the root of issues like this. Fitness can be one, players puffing at the end of games and spotting the runner and not being able to catch up. I don’t believe that’s the case here. In the new era of 5 subs and our futuristic sci-fi training ground, Leicester seem more than able to deal with the physical rigours of Premier League football.
While we clung on for dear life to defend a lead at home to Bournemouth, we also saw second-half fightbacks against Tottenham and Southampton. The 45-minute phenomenon is not tied to one half in particular - this should remove the bulk of any fitness concerns.
Steve Cooper loves ‘responsibility’, I couldn’t find any stats on it, but it feels like he uses it at least 5 times in every post-match interview. It’s clearly a keyword for him and if we hear it this much, how often do the players?
The word can have vague connotations - responsibility means different things to different people and a different times. When Steve Cooper was commenting on the VAR-spiracy after the Crystal Palace game he spoke about how ‘responsibility’ lies with him, even after spending the previous few minutes piling it onto the PSR-funded Stockley Park crooks.
Is ‘responsibility’ a well-defined concept at Seagrave or is it a buzzword to come back to? Responsibility for Stephy Mavididi as a newer, younger player is wholly different to what would be expected of Conor Coady.
That’s right, I’ve invoked the name of Conor Coady. Read responsibility as leadership and that’s the first name that comes to mind. A man so famed for his good vibes he was included in the Euro 2020 squad as a personality hire. He was shown by Sky cameras engaged in what looked like an in-depth conversation with Steve Cooper just before the second half against Nottingham Forest. His opinion is clearly valued off the pitch but he’s played just 8 Premier League minutes this season.
As ‘Proper Football Bloke’ as it sounds, someone on the pitch to hold others accountable for their mistakes might be just what this side needs. A few times we’ve seen strings of individual errors falling like dominoes, leading inevitably to a goal. Is someone there at the end to take names and deal out bollockings the remedy? Assuming that is the solution to all of our problems, and why not at this point, how does Coady actually get out on the pitch?
In Steve Cooper’s favoured 4-2-3-1 formation this season, we’ve seen James Justin sit at right-back while Victor Kristiansen bombs on from the left. Playing Coady on the right-hand side of the centre-half pairing would provide ample cover for his slower pace, especially when partnered with the much quicker Okoli or Faes.
In the lesser-spotted 4-3-3 as played against Forest, with Ricardo tucking in from the right of defence to create that box in midfield and the left back staying to form a back 3 in possession, this should still be enough cover - especially as Cooper doesn’t seem likely to play as high a line as Enzo Maresca did last season.
Coady’s career has been marred by accusations of him only being useful in the middle of a back 3, a position in which he made his name for Wolves. He played around 40 games in each of his 7 seasons at Wolves, then 24 in his season on loan at Everton and just 12 last season, in the Championship with Leicester. Going from an ever-present to a bit part player in such a short time and with no major long-term injuries, it makes you wonder why we don’t see more of him, given he is just 31 years old.
With Leicester having played a back 5 and both of their favoured 4 at the back formations becoming a 3 in possession, what is the tactical case to leave Coady out of the team? Coady marshalling the defence in the middle of a back 3 with 2 quicker defenders on either side of him is something we’ve seen before and given today’s tactical shift to recognising in and out of possession formations he could thrive in that situation, as opposed to Dychian flat back 4 at Everton.
He’s got the leadership qualities, passing ability and old-school defensive skills to excel in this side and he could be just what Leicester need. Not just to shore up the defence, but to keep the team focused, accountable and ready to revive the ‘Foxes Never Quit’ energy that we will need to stay up this season.
