Steve Cooper is anxiously seeking his first Premier League win since taking over as Leicester City manager in the summer.
This season was always going to be a tough one for Leicester City after losing their promotion-winning manager Enzo Maresca as well as star man Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
However, the longer the search for a first league win of the season goes on the more difficult Steve Cooper‘s task of keeping Leicester in the Premier League becomes.
The Foxes came the closest they have so far to winning three points at the weekend but squandered a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 against Crystal Palace thanks to a 92nd-minute penalty.
Next up is Everton at home and Cooper knows his side simply have to beat the Premier League’s bottom side or things could become very uncomfortable for him.
With that in mind, here are three potential consequences the Leicester boss could face if they do not beat Everton at the King Power.
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Steve Cooper could lose Leicester City home crowd with defeat vs Everton
Cooper’s appointment was a divisive one given his affiliation with rivals Nottingham Forest.
Add to that the fact he was sacked by Forest last December as they slid towards relegation and it is easy to see why many were left uninspired by the Welshman’s appointment in the summer.
A draw against Tottenham Hotspur on the opening weekend is a good result but it is little short of a miracle that Leicester managed to take a point that day given Spurs laid siege on their goal for the majority of the game.
Foxes fans are already starting to grow slightly frustrated by Cooper’s negative approach too, with Leicester inviting Palace pressure eventually being their undoing on Saturday as they threw away a comfortable 2-0 lead.
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Everton are yet to register a point this season and Cooper could see the Leicester faithful start to turn on him with anything other than a win.
Cooper’s job could come under threat at Leicester
More worryingly for Cooper is that failure to beat Everton at the weekend could see the club hierarchy start to doubt whether their Maresca replacement was the right choice.
Whilst it is still very early days, no wins after five games would be a concerning start and with a crucial run of fixtures coming up that includes games against Bournemouth, Southampton and Ipswich Town, the Leicester decision makers could feel action is needed.
Having signed Cooper a number of attacking players in the summer it is unlikely the negative tactics we have seen so far will have endeared the former Forest manager to his new employers either, although he could well argue that some of those players are not yet up to speed.
Leicester defeat could kickstart relegation rival Everton’s season
The third consequence is the impact that a win – or perhaps even a draw – could have on Everton’s season.
Seam Dyche has seen his side throw away 2-0 leads on consecutive weekends, so confidence will be on the floor amongst the Toffees’ players.
However, a win against Leicester would see Everton leapfrog Cooper’s side and all but guarantee the Foxes end game week five in the relegation zone.
That would have a negative impact mentally on players and fans, especially as Everton are almost certain to be battling with Leicester to avoid relegation come the business end of the season.
To put it bluntly, nothing other than a win will do for Leicester against Everton and this could see Cooper’s side climb as high as 12th to give themselves some breathing room.