Yahoo News Steve Cooper warns Leicester City not to repeat mistake Arsenal have made
When Leicester City take on Arsenal on Saturday afternoon, Steve Cooper will be giving his players a special instruction: don’t kick the ball away.
The title-chasing Gunners have already fallen foul of the law twice this season, with Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard receiving second yellow cards for kicking the ball away, preventing the opposition from taking a quick free-kick.
Cooper knows referee Sam Barrott will be cracking down on any misdemeanours of that kind while Arsenal fans are likely to be eagle-eyed and ready to complain should City try to get away with it.
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Against one of the top sides in the division, Cooper won’t want his team to get cheap bookings or help the Gunners build a raucous atmosphere inside the Emirates Stadium.
After Trossard’s red card at Manchester City last weekend, Arsenal defended deep, and were perceived to be delaying goal-kicks and feigning injuries to waste time. It prompted a debate about the so-called dark arts of the game.
“Gamesmanship and what it takes to win will always be a part of football,” Cooper said. “Bending rules, not breaking rules, is never going to go away.
“But what we’ve got to make sure we don’t do is kick the ball away on fouls. Because that’s going to be a hot topic in the stadium and it’s what referees are clamping down on as well.
“When you win a Premier League game or you get a positive result, you can’t leave anything out on the pitch, whether that’s playing well with the ball, playing well without the ball, the commitment and desire to win the match through gamesmanship, you have to do it all. We’re no different to anybody else.”
One other area of focus will be on defending set-pieces. Arsenal have become renowned for their success at dead balls, while centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes has scored a header from a corner in each of the Gunners’ last two Premier League outings. It’s typically been an area City have struggled, but they’re so far yet to concede from a corner this term.
“You’re right, in terms of the threat they are at set-pieces,” Cooper added. “They’ve had really good success this season and last season as well. We’re fully aware of that.
“We have to make sure we’re ready for it and we commit to it and for all of the strategies that now go into set-pieces, you also can’t look away from the importance of heart and soul and desire and mentality to not lose a duel or concede a goal. We’re on top of that. We’ve got to be good at everything.”
