Why Steve Cooper hasn’t played dynamite Leicester City duo together as boos try to spark change.
Stephy Mavididi and Abdul Fatawu have been on the pitch together for 30 minutes in the Premier League season, and it seems it’s a case of one or the other at the moment.
They were Leicester City’s dynamite duo on the wings last season, contributing a combined 37 goals and assists in the Championship. But this term, the twin threat of Stephy Mavididi and Abdul Fatawu has been utilised for just half an hour in the Premier League.
Both of the wingers have played in each of City’s six league fixtures, but rarely together. They’ve not yet been named in the starting line-up, while they’ve only been on the pitch at the same twice, for 10 minutes against Tottenham on the opening weekend, and 20 minutes a week later at Fulham.
That’s been frustrating for sections of the fanbase who want to be dazzled by the duo as they were last season. In the first three Premier League games, Fatawu started but Mavididi came on as a sub, and the noise grew for the latter to be given his chance in the 11.
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In the three fixtures since then, Mavididi has indeed been handed his opportunity, but at the expense of Fatawu. The Ghanaian is now the one who is being used as a late-game substitute, and calls for him to feature more are starting to arise.
Their lack of game-time together is explained by Steve Cooper’s system. He wants to create a box of four centrally so that City are a threat through the middle of the pitch. The quartet forming the box are the two deep midfielders, the number 10, and then one of the wingers.
The winger taking on that role has to be comfortable shuffling inside and finding pockets in which to receive the ball and link play. Three players have so far played that position. First it was Bobby De Cordova-Reid, then Jordan Ayew, with Facundo Buonanotte handed the role against Arsenal.
Mavididi and Fatawu have not been considered for that position, albeit Mavididi did operate in that way in pre-season matches. It’s because Cooper broadly sees them as Enzo Maresca did.
Both Mavididi and Fatawu are better when they stay wide, when they can isolate a full-back and look to beat them near the touchline. But in Cooper’s system, there’s only space for one player in that mould.
Because when the inverted winger comes inside, the full-back on that flank advances and plays as a winger. In the first three games, that was Victor Kristiansen’s job, the Dane rushing down the left. But following the swap of Mavididi and Fatawu, James Justin now goes forward on the right. That was why he popped up in the box to score his superb volley against the Gunners.
But how does Cooper decide which way to tilt his team? It’s partly due to the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition, and partly due to the form of individuals.
The manager said: “That’s the gameplan, that’s coaching, that’s our work, and that’s the best bit, the nuances of putting a plan together. How you do that is repeating and continuing with what you think is important with and without the ball.
“Then you try to identify hotspots on the pitch against an opponent that you can capitalise on. Sometimes that’s stopping their strengths, sometimes it’s exploiting their weaknesses. Whether that’s a high winger on the right or on the left, or a certain profile in midfield, that’s the role of coaching.
“And also, if players play well and they’re in good form. Stephy’s come in and scored two. His goal return’s good at the moment, so we also want to see which players are playing well and continue to push them to improve even more. That is all part of the jigsaw we try to put together for a game.”
The question is whether Cooper will consider changing the jigsaw in City’s search for their first win. Fans, many of whom booed when Mavididi was replaced by Fatawu against Everton, would hope he does.
