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Leicester City boss Steve Cooper says that they've had a tough season with the referee this year

23/11/2024

King Power Stadium, Leicester, UK
Transcript
00:00Yeah, I think there's two main topics.
00:07I think there's how the game played out, and then there was obviously
00:11certain moments in the game that could be classed as game-changers.
00:16I think that we were preparing for one of, if not the toughest games so far this season.
00:22We knew the size of the challenge of the game that was coming.
00:27The first 30 minutes was tough for sure, but we knew that there'd probably be spells
00:32where Chelsea would have dominance and territory, and you have to prepare for that.
00:39We've given away a really soft goal, and they've had some dangerous moments,
00:44but what I felt needed improving mostly in the first half was when we actually got the ball.
00:52You saw that when we played probably the last maybe 50 minutes of the first half,
00:57when we started to show good transition, make some passes, get into position and move our way
01:02through the pitch as we planned, we created two good chances with Casey and Wilf.
01:11I know it was a tough first 30 minutes, but generally, defensively, we were OK.
01:19Mads made a good save through Nonny, but we give away that goal that we do,
01:28and it's a game that we have to try and get back into.
01:31So, half-time was about doing better with the ball and believing in ourselves,
01:39and playing with courage and showing that when we do, this is what can happen.
01:45And then just getting a bit further up the pitch with the press,
01:51but while doing that, knowing that if Chelsea do get through,
01:53then you're opening yourself up to them being the strongest and most threatening.
01:58But that's the sort of small risk that we had to take,
02:03because obviously everyone knows the level of player they've brought in, etc., etc.,
02:09and they're in a good way, in a good moment, and they should be.
02:12So, you want to try and counteract that as much as you can.
02:17So, the second half, we could have, again, when we got into decent areas,
02:22could have done a bit more with our quality in the final third,
02:24but then we do create the first penalty decision and the second as well.
02:30And you need moments against...
02:34When you play against teams like Chelsea, when you're a team like where we're at,
02:38it's about capitalising on your moments
02:44and hoping that if it is moments like referees' decisions,
02:47that the game's refereed in the right way.
02:50And there's some on us that we can do better with,
02:53with our final third play and the chances we created,
02:56and set pieces we've got to be more of a threat on and things like that.
03:01But then obviously, even the penalty that is given,
03:03they give it offside when he's like half a yard on.
03:05So, yeah, we've had a tough season with this referee this year,
03:09which you local guys will know a lot more about.
03:13But, yeah, I thought, listen, I don't just want to talk about the decisions,
03:17I've given you a fair analysis of the game.
03:21But at the same time, this is the last thing the PGOL needed this weekend.
03:27It was not just a game with a performance like that,
03:29but being the first game as well.
03:31So, I felt a bit sorry for Howard and that, but that's how it is.
03:38Have they given you any explanation why it wasn't overturned?
03:41No, they put it up on the screen as well, didn't they?
03:44Yeah, so, like I said, all of your colleagues with the radio and TV,
03:51and there's a lot of them here today,
03:53it's been the first question they've asked us about poor decisions.
03:56But we can't do anything about it now,
04:00apart from, I think, just maybe officially speak to whoever we need to speak to,
04:06and just hope that in general things can get to the level we all want it to be at,
04:11to help the game.
04:12You mentioned yourself as the first goal you conceded.
04:15You defended really well when you came back,
04:18but then when you go long from a goal kick...
04:20Second balls, yeah.
04:22..wow, doesn't do it again.
04:23There's been a lot of individual errors in certain players.
04:27Yeah, maybe, but I ain't gonna be that guy
04:30that the only person I ever want speaking about in a negative way in press conferences is me.
04:37It won't happen with players, even if I think it or not, it just won't happen.
04:42So we stick together, and players, everybody will make mistakes,
04:49everyone will do good things,
04:50but the most important thing is that you stick together
04:53and you carry on with your plan,
04:56and take ownership of the stuff that needs to improve on,
05:00and try and repeat the stuff that you feel is going strongly or well as well,
05:05and I'm more interested in that, Rob, to be honest.
05:15I think it was one of the...
05:18I mean, that's our luck as well, isn't it, that the linesman pulls his calf,
05:22and then, did you notice, the fourth official was in the second half,
05:30the linesman over the far side in the first half,
05:32he got injured, which can happen I guess,
05:35so the fourth official's gone,
05:36the linesman, he's going to give offside for the penalty,
05:38the second one, and the two decisions down the bottom,
05:41where he gets three kicks, and he is a referee as well.
05:46So, yeah, for that, really.
05:48But I think that maybe was a little bit of...
05:52probably a bit of self-protection for the officials,
05:54of how they were doing at that time,
05:55rather than actual, you know, what I might have said,
05:58because I didn't...
05:59Yeah.
06:05I know, and I think that's probably going to be
06:08as much of a talking point as actually the poor decision,
06:13is how inconsistent that seems to be as well.
06:17It's the on-the-pitch stuff,
06:18and the whole VAR debate goes on, I know,
06:21but they're not causing problems for themselves,
06:24and everybody wants to help,
06:25you want it to get better,
06:26but then when you're on the wrong end of it,
06:28it's so frustrating.
06:29You know, so I feel sorry for Howard this weekend,
06:31you know, with everything,
06:33last they just needed a really clean week,
06:35and I hope today's not the start of,
06:37you know, the rest of the weekend,
06:39I'm sure it won't be as bad as that.
06:43Yeah, so, you know...
06:45Yeah, and, you know, when I said about,
06:49you know, needing to do better with the ball,
06:54Wingsy will start that more than anybody else for us,
06:58that's his super strength, isn't it?
07:00It's his controlling of games,
07:02and his ability to start attacks,
07:06or keep momentum in the game,
07:08so it was a blow, to be honest, in coming off,
07:10and maybe that did have an interference
07:12with why we didn't have enough good moments with the ball,
07:15first half.
07:16It's added to a phase that we're going through with injuries,
07:19it hasn't been a clean week,
07:22been lots of lads a couple of days ago
07:24I didn't think was going to be fit for today,
07:25and they've managed to get themselves ready to go,
07:29some of them starting,
07:29some of them coming off the bench,
07:31very little training,
07:33no excuse, by the way,
07:34you know, but it's been tough, really,
07:37to prepare everybody in the way that you'd like,
07:40but that can happen,
07:41you know, Chelsea are missing some players today as well,
07:43obviously,
07:45albeit the replacements are all right,
07:48I think it's his grind, yeah,
07:49so it's our fingers crossed that,
07:52you know, sometimes these things can be a week,
07:55sometimes it can be,
07:56you know,
07:57it's all right with the Ricciardo, you know?
08:06Well, I don't want to go into one particular thing,
08:10but it's definitely been topical,
08:13isn't it?
08:14Refereeing this season,
08:16and I guess everybody wants it to be at the level
08:20that it should be at,
08:22and then, you know,
08:23I think when international breaks
08:25give a chance to talk about other things,
08:27and referees have been that,
08:28so unfortunately it'll be the case
08:32when you talk about this game as well today.
08:35Yeah, George?
08:35Yeah.
08:36Yeah, so I think that,
08:40you know, I think congratulations to him,
08:42you know, making a Premier League start
08:43is always a great honour,
08:45particularly his story of coming through, etc.,
08:47and he's waited patiently,
08:50a little bit in the wings, really,
08:51and literally,
08:53and we felt that we needed
08:57attack and penetration on that side of the pitch today,
09:00and obviously with Abdul being injured,
09:03you know, we felt it was a good case and opportunity,
09:05we felt he'd done some decent things
09:07in the United League Cup game,
09:10and definitely, you know,
09:12come off the bench a couple of times
09:13and looked like he's ready to be given an opportunity,
09:16so it's obviously a tough game for him
09:18to have loads of the threat he would have liked to have had,
09:21but committed to the plan,
09:22and, you know,
09:24good for him to get his first start out the way.
09:35Yeah, but I'll add some good moments in the game today,
09:37and like I said, I'm not going to...
09:39I thought, you know,
09:43sometimes these things can be whatever,
09:45I thought there were some players
09:46that did take opportunities today
09:48and did play well
09:48in what is a really tough game,
09:50you know, Caleb come back into the game today,
09:53you know, it's a tough game
09:58playing against how they play
09:59and the attack that they have,
10:01you have to handle them tactically,
10:02you have to handle them individually,
10:05and, you know, I thought some guys,
10:07obviously we're disappointed that we lost,
10:09but some guys can walk off the pitch today
10:10knowing, certainly the young guys,
10:12that they did some decent things,
10:13and the guys you mentioned, I think,
10:14are in that category.
10:19Just football, nothing untoward
10:24in terms of injuries, etc.
10:25I think because I was saying that
10:27we had some injuries
10:30and we had some guys going into the game
10:32where we thought,
10:33if this doesn't work out,
10:35we might have to make this change.
10:36We just needed certain cover
10:37in certain areas on the bench
10:39and it was football decisions, that's all.
10:41But like I said,
10:42I'll be back in the mix, I'm sure, next week.
10:52I haven't seen them,
10:53but I'm not going to hide away
10:54and just say that's all the bad luck today.
10:57I have heard that there was a couple of decisions,
11:00I think Wilfred's one has got mentioned
11:02more than others.
11:03I'm being really honest, I've not seen them.
11:05And if I'm being honest,
11:06I've only seen the penalty decisions back,
11:07largely because they were on the screen.
11:10But I haven't seen them,
11:13but I did hear that that added
11:15to the referees' performance today as well,
11:17so I'm not going to swerve that one.
11:24I shouldn't get into that, should I?
11:26I'd love to answer that, to be honest,
11:28but, yeah, no, no,
11:31because I'd be sitting in a director's box again
11:34somewhere or a press box with you guys.
11:37Yeah, interesting season, isn't it, with him?
11:39For sure, and sometimes it can go like that.

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