Steve Cooper responds to chant from Nottingham Forest end as he says ‘it didn’t need to be that way’.
Chris Wood’s two goals in the second half condemn Leicester City to a 3-1 loss to Nottingham Forest in the East Midlands derby give the management of Leicester City a voice.
According to manager Steve Cooper, Leicester City’s “self-inflicted” derby day loss represents a reversal of the gains the team was making.
All three of Forest’s goals came from defensive blunders, but City lost after giving up a brace to Chris Wood in the second half. Wood’s double gave City the lead, and even though they had a strong first half, they ended up finishing the match much behind.
Cooper responded, “It is self-inflicted,” in reference to the loss. “The way the game went, especially in the second half, is all our fault.
“As is common in this league, we were penalized for our major errors in the build-up to the three goals. For that, we must accept responsibility. Although that has occurred, we are not in the business of concentrating on specific people.
“We had excellent control of the game, scored a fantastic goal, and recovered nicely in the first half. At halftime, we showed the boys some pictures that showed where the potential was in the game, and it was indeed there. We needed to be more of a threat. We had a lot of hope that the second half would be a game in which we could attack even harder, make a difference, and win.
“We gave up a lot in the beginning of the second half, which wasn’t good. However, there was also no reason to abandon the strategy. There was plenty of time to do Forest harm.
“We intended the game to look a certain way, and the third goal changed that. We probably try a little too hard, and so we have to abandon the plan. They alter things in order to wear defenders. Changes must be made. We lost any rhythm we had at that time.
“We ended up making the game appear that way to Forest because they are really good at counterattacking. Obviously, that was not the intention. We must accept accountability. We are responsible for it. The game proceeded as it did because we made mistakes and were penalized.
“We work together on everything. Everyone, including supporters and others in the club’s immediate vicinity, is disappointed. The last thing you want is for the game against a local rival to go as badly as it did tonight.
“We’ve done a lot of good in the last couple of games and where we feel we’re going. This is a real setback. We must acknowledge that it’s our fault. We have to take responsibility.”
Forest’s supporters spent the second half chanting Cooper’s name to rub salt into City’s wounds. Asked if the defeat stung more because of the opponents and occasion, Cooper said: “Yeah, you don’t want to be losing any games, but you especially don’t want to be losing to local rivals. We have to not shy away from that.
“There’s real frustration in how the game went and it didn’t need to be that way. That will be the biggest frustration, when you see the first half and the control we could have in the game and the impact we could have. To then do what we did in the second half will be really frustrating. We have to accept that.”
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