EXCLUSIVE: Steve Cooper reportedly facing scrutiny from Leicester City senior players after winless start and frustrating tactics as report claims Cooper seeking tactical advice from players has not gone down too well with Foxes squad who are yet to be fully convinced by manager

Leicester City manager Steve Cooper has reportedly faced scrutiny from sections of his squad at the start of the season.

The Foxes are back on the top table of English football after battling to the Championship title under the stewardship of Enzo Maresca last campaign. After helping Leicester to the second-tier crown, the Italian was offered the top job at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea are looking for a major turnaround of their recent fortunes.

Losing their head coach and talisman in Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to the West London club, the Foxes were always in line for a tricky opening to the 2024-25 Premier League term. The East Midlands outfit received a major piece of positive news off the field earlier in September, though, learning that they will not be punished for an alleged breach of the division’s Profit and Sustainability rules.

Leicester boss Cooper facing scrutiny from players?

According to The Sun, Cooper’s start to life as manager at Leicester City has not been smooth sailing as the club attempt to preserve their top-flight status. The report claims that the former Nottingham Forest head coach is facing scrutiny from sections of his squad at the beginning of the 2024-25 term.

It is understood that some members of the first-team group feel that Cooper gives the players too much freedom on the pitch as they aim to win Premier League contests.

The Foxes are supposedly used to the management style of ex-boss Maresca, who opted to control every aspect of his side’s play during the title-winning Championship season.

Additionally, it is believed that Cooper has asked for the advice of his players on tactics and incomings during the summer transfer window, a move that has confused some of the team. After a quartet of fixtures on their return to the Premier League, Leicester are still without a victory, collecting just two points so far this season.

A respectable share of the spoils versus Tottenham Hotspur on the opening weekend was followed by back-to-back defeats against Fulham and Champions League-bound Aston Villa.

The Foxes fired themselves into a two-goal lead at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon and looked destined for a maiden top-flight maximum, however a second-half brace from Jean-Philippe Mateta snatched a point for Crystal Palace.

One of five teams who are yet to register a win this season in the Premier League, Cooper’s Leicester need a confidence-boosting win to reassure supporters that the team are going in the right direction under the Welshman’s leadership.