Steve Cooper has kept Leicester above the drop zone so far despite inheriting a restless dressing room… beating his predecessor Enzo Maresca would be huge for his long-term Foxes future, writes TOM COLLOMOSSE

Steve Cooper and Enzo Maresca face off on Saturday, but both understand the toughest challenge facing any Leicester manager: taming a restless dressing room.

Although the characters may change, the storyline remains the same. Just ask Claudio Ranieri, Claude Puel or Brendan Rodgers.

Ranieri won the Premier League title at the King Power Stadium. Rodgers won the FA Cup and Community Shield and reached a European semi-final. Yet rifts had developed long before either man left, while Puel, who lasted 16 months, was never able to convince the players from the start.

Maresca moved to Chelsea after leading Leicester to promotion last season and will be warmly welcomed upon his return. Five months into his reign, Cooper is trying to turn Maresca’s Pep Guardiola-lite tactics into a plan that can deliver Premier League survival, and it’s no easy task.

On the one hand, Leicester have 10 points from their first eleven games, putting them three points above the relegation zone.

They have achieved the best results of the three promoted sides, with Ipswich on eight points and Southampton on four. Promoted teams usually struggle in the Premier League – all three returned straight to the Championship last season – so this is a solid total for Leicester, especially since they lost influential midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Chelsea last summer. Unfortunately for Cooper, things aren’t that simple.

Steve Cooper has kept Leicester above the relegation zone so far, with the Foxes in 15th place

But taming a restless dressing room is a tough challenge that every Leicester manager must face

Having failed to gain promotion, Cooper cannot rely on the goodwill of supporters enjoyed by Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna or Southampton manager Russell Martin, and has already felt the wrath of a notoriously impatient crowd. His history at East Midlands is similar to Nottingham Forest, where Cooper remains popular, but only adds to the unease among fans.

And then there’s the team, some of whom have become so committed to Maresca’s methods and are now finding it difficult to adapt to the new way of working.

Maresca planned his side’s approach down to the smallest detail, indicating where his men should move and where passes should be made, almost down to the blade of grass. Most players enjoyed his training, appreciating how certain drills would be applied in game situations. Most importantly, they liked to win the majority of their games – the minimum expectation for one of the strongest sides in the history of the second tier.

Although unpopular with every member of the squad, Maresca was generally liked and respected, and there was widespread disappointment when he accepted Chelsea’s offer. Cooper has had to navigate those choppy waters while adjusting his playing style.

Most footballers would like to play like Leicester did last season: dominate the ball, fool their opponents with beautiful passing patterns and finish the campaign as champions, with 97 points and 89 goals. Repeating that as a newly promoted team is a little more complicated.

Burnley lifted the Championship title in 2022-23, finishing with 101 points, and manager Vincent Kompany vowed to maintain the same expansive style in the division above.

Sure enough, the Clarets were routinely beaten and although they became more pragmatic later in the season, that wasn’t enough to keep up with them.

The Leicester players who crave the security of Enzo-ball may pine for their former boss on Saturday, especially if Chelsea win comfortably. Yet Chelsea have the fourth highest wage bill in the country and some of the highest paid players.

Leicester had these privileges in the Championship and now they don’t anymore. Cooper believes that approaching every match the same way, regardless of the opponent, is not the best way to maintain top status.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall also returns to King Power following his summer move to Chelsea

Foxes fans grew accustomed to Maresca’s Pep Guardiola-esque style in the Championship but must now be more realistic under Cooper given the challenge of the Premier League

Cooper is still blessed to have the remarkable 38-year-old Jamie Vardy in Leicester’s ranks

Cooper has done this before. He managed to keep a Forest side that had signed 30 players over two windows in 2023 above the line. Forest have moved on again under Nuno Espirito Santo, but Cooper’s work in that first campaign should never be overlooked.

Can he repeat it? There are reasons for optimism. Facundo Buonanotte, on loan from Brighton, looks to be one of the best young players in the country and has three goals and two assists this season. Although Buonanotte will miss the game against Chelsea due to suspension, he can have the same impact as Brennan Johnson during Cooper’s only full season at Forest, when the Welshman claimed eight goals and three assists. Every underdog needs a top goalkeeper and Mads Hermansen has been one of the best in the division this season.

This alone is not enough, as Cooper, his coaches and the players know all too well. Opponents have successfully targeted Leicester’s right flank and between them they have faced 194 shots in eleven games this season. Only Brentford, on 203, has allowed more.

In Harry Winks, Jannik Vestergaard, Jordan Ayew and James Justin, Cooper has experienced players who know what it takes to thrive in the Premier League and it is crucial that they all sing from the same hymn sheet.

At least they still have the remarkable Jamie Vardy in their ranks. He will be 38 in January, but is still on the training pitch at 8.30am. He is very committed to his recovery and swears by his pre-match routine of cheese omelettes, espresso and Red Bull.

If Vardy, in football parlance, ‘has’ a Leicester manager, life is considerably easier for the man in the dugout than if he isn’t. In his 12-year Foxes career, Vardy has seen eight permanent managers come and go and his legacy is unparalleled. Vardy plans to play beyond his 40th birthday and with four goals and an assist this season he shows little sign of slowing down.

Vardy’s ability to forget the past and adapt his game to the demands of the present is one of his greatest tricks. To keep Leicester in the Premier League, some of his colleagues would be wise to follow his lead.