Steve Cooper oversaw his first competitive game as manager of Leicester City as a Jamie Vardy header rescued a point against Tottenham on Monday night.
Leicester City were handed an unexpected boost as Jamie Vardy declared himself fit to play despite not featuring in pre-season since picking up an injury in the first friendly of the summer.
News that OIiver Skipp had signed – coincidentally from Monday’s opponents Tottenham – only added to the positivity around the King Power prior to kick off.
Steve Cooper watched on as his side clung on to only go in 1-0 down at half-time as Pedro Porro’s header was somehow the only goal of a 45 minutes in which Leicester looked miles off of their opponents.
However, momentum can turn quickly in football and after Vardy equalised against the run of the play in the 57th-minute Leicester suddenly looked a side capable of competing in the Premier League.
In the end, the Foxes held on for a draw and Cooper will look to build on that second-half display away at Fulham next time out.
Bobby De Cordova-Reid struggled for Leicester City against Tottenham
There were some positive individual performances in the Leicester ranks on Monday night.
Loanee Facundo Buonanotte was impressive on his debut for the club having not even played a pre-season game since his arrival from Brighton.
Abdul Fatawu made last season’s loan deal permanent this summer and showed he is ready to rise to the challenge of the Premier League with an assist rounding off a determined display.
However, one new arrival who did not cover himself in glory against Spurs was Bobby De Cordova-Reid.
De Cordova-Reid joined Cooper’s ranks for free this summer following the end of his Fulham contract but struggled on his Foxes debut.
Leicestershire Live gave the 31-year-old a five out of ten for his debut performance, commenting: “He had a really difficult first half.
“He was too slow on the ball, wasted City’s rare attacks and lost Porro for the Spurs opener.
“But he picked up second half, and when he drifted inside was able to show off some nice touches, including for Vardy’s golden chance for a winner.”
Steve Cooper should drop De Cordova-Reid for Stephy Mavididi against Fulham
De Cordova-Reid played on the left of the Leicester midfield against Tottenham having been signed partly due to his ability to play a number of positions.
He struggled to get into the game from an attacking perspective and lost concentration at times defensively.
Cooper may be tempted to give the attacker another chance on Saturday – particularly as he will be facing his former club – but his performance in the Spurs draw should see the Leicester boss replace him with Stephy Mavididi.
Mavididi was a key part of the Championship-winning side last season playing from a left wing position, scoring 12 and assisting six in the league.
With Patson Daka injured, Mavididi came off the bench to replace Vardy up front with the 37-year-old’s race run on Monday, but Cooper should hand the winger an opportunity to play his favoured position against Fulham.
Mavididi is at his best when is given space to run at defenders and he should get this at Craven Cottage.
That would also leave Cooper with a fired-up De Cordova-Reid to come off the bench in a bid to beat his former employers.
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