In an interview with the club's official website ahead of the upcoming away game against Arsenal, Leicester City manager Stephen Cooper expressed his satisfaction with his team's current form and his confidence in the upcoming challenge.
Cooper began by recognizing the players' work ethic and engagement, stating, "Every time we talk to the players, their attitude and engagement is outstanding. It's the kind of performance we want and the motivation we need to keep working hard." He emphasized that as a head coach, he has never been more determined to lead the team to good results because the fans have given their money and time to support the team and it is his responsibility to improve and give back to the fans.
Cooper has a clear understanding of the challenges facing Leicester City as a newly promoted team: "We know that the competition in the Premier League is very fierce, and very few teams are able to have a smooth sailing throughout the season. But we've come from the Championship and we have the resilience and the strength of character to come together. We are transitioning to being a competitive Premier League team again and that is a challenge we accept."
Speaking about the upcoming Arsenal game, Cooper said, "It's a very tough opponent and it's on their home turf. But it's those games where we have to really try and go there with the expectation of success and not the fear of failure. Our focus is on ourselves and we have to do everything really well, both with and without the ball, game management, set-pieces and so on. We have to believe in ourselves and believe that we can deal with Arsenal's strengths and make the impact we want to make in the game."
Cooper also mentioned that Arsenal have a strong attacking power on set pieces, which is a point they need to pay attention to. But he also said that Leicester City have their own advantages and they must believe that they can meet these challenges and show their strength in the game.
Regarding the team's mentality and attitude, Cooper emphasized, "We have to make people happy, proud and excited about the team. This is a great opportunity to show how good we are, how strong we are as people and how united we are. We have to work hard to continue on this path while also getting the results we need."
Finally, Cooper looked ahead to the game, stating, "Even though Arsenal are currently at the top of the league table, we won't let that deter us. We will go into the game with real intent to get a good result at the weekend. We believe we can do that because we are a united, resilient and strong team."
