Leicester City returned to Premier League action on Saturday with an away tie against Southampton.
The Foxes headed into the clash on the South Coast knowing three points from the game at St Mary’s could have proven crucial to their survival hopes.
Leicester City beat Bournemouth 1-0 in their last Premier League fixture prior to the international break – a result that moved them up 15th in the league table ahead of kick-off on Saturday.
However, that was only Steve Cooper’s first Premier League win as Leicester manager and a defeat to Russell Martin’s side could have seen the Foxes drop back into the bottom three before the weekend was over.
A tight game was predicted between Leicester and Southampton, with both sides struggling to adjust to life back in the Premier League following their respective Championship promotions in 2023/24.
When all was said and done at Southampton’s ground, Leicester just about scraped a 3-2 win.
Steve Cooper is making the same mistake in every Leicester City game
Leicester fans may have hoped to see their side build on the win over Bournemouth last time out and while they did eventually pick up three points, their team started the tie in awful fashion.
Former Middlesbrough striker Cameron Archer fired the home side in front after just eight minutes.
And unsurprisingly, the goal came down the right side of the Foxes’ backline, just like many of their other goals this season.
James Justin has been the man largely deployed at right-back for much of Leicester’s game this season and while he is a decent player, it is clear he has had a rough start to 2024/25 and was once again poor vs Southampton.
Depsite Leicester continuing to be exposed on the right, however, Cooper has refused to start experienced right-back Ricardo Pereira on a single occasion in the Premier League this term, with it obvious the Leicester manager’s stubbornness is costing his side goals.
Leicester City may sack Steve Cooper if he keeps making same error
Cooper’s decision not to give Pereira a single minute in the Premier League prior to the Southampton game is a baffling one and could now lead to his sacking.
Leicester fans want Cooper gone and the weekend’s game has given them even more reason to have had enough of the ex-Nottingham Forest manager.
Losing to the likes of Arsenal and Aston Villa was expected for a side who have just won promotion but matches against the likes of Southampton are a must-win if Leicester are to keep their place in the top flight.
The Foxes have quality players on their books but if Cooper continues to refuse to utilise some of them properly, he may well face the sack in the coming weeks.
They got lucky against the Saints but if the 44-year-old keeps making poor selection calls, his days at the King Power could be numbered.