Leicester City continued their winning to start to pre-season after a well-fought 2-1 win in Shropshire.
Stephy Mavididi scored his second goal of pre-season to give the visitors the lead, before an own goal from new signing Caleb Okoli got Shrewsbury level.
Academy graduate Kasey McAteer replied in a matter of seconds to reinstate the Leicester lead ensuring the win.
It was the first time Foxes fans have seen their side in action this campaign, and there were plenty of positives to take.
Cooper's style
The transition between Enzo Maresca and Steve Cooper unsurprisingly raised some question marks when Leicester announced their new manager.
The dominating controlled style implemented by Maresca compared, to the fairly defensive system of Cooper at Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
However, it seems like the Welshman has very much built upon the style last season with his own subtle tweaks.
Lining up in a 3-4-3 shape in possession, which transitioned into a 4-4-2 off the ball in both halves.
This created some very fast direct football when going forward, particularly with the focus of getting the ball wide.
Reminiscent of how Cooper set up Forest in their promotion-winning campaign, back in 2022.
This direct play created the second goal after a long searching ball from James Justin found Kasey McAteer who finished superbly.
A new role for Stephy Mavididi?
In his first season at the club, the Englishman was a regular on the left side, of a deadly front three in the Championship.
However, tonight his role was different, drifting inside into a number 10 position which was far from expected.
But it seemed to be a natural switch, he caused the home side a number of problems in the first half. If Leicester were sharper on the ball his play would have easily resulted in some goal-scoring chances.
And scoring is what he did once again, the most productive player so far under Steve Cooper, he saw his free-kick nestle into the back of the net after a sizeable deflection.
His inverted runs created sizeable gaps out wide, which Leicester's new-look wing-backs exploited well, especially in the first half.
Minutes for the youth
Steve Cooper has a rich history of developing young players and he has the perfect chance to do the same at Leicester City.
There was a plethora of changes throughout the second half where fans got to see new signing Michael Golding in action for the first time.
19-year-old Will Alves was also introduced for the first time after his ACL injury back in December 2022.
These two specifically impressed with their eagerness to get on the ball and undoubtedly to impress the new manager.
Despite a scrappy ending to the game, the new-look side managed to hold out for another victory on the road.
New opportunities
With any new manager, it welcomes a new chance for a number of players who struggled last season.
Luke Thomas was back in a Leicester shirt after a number of fairly unsuccessful loans last season.
Harry Souttar, who played very limited minutes under Maresca, impressed in the second half alongside Caleb Okoli.
The Australian could be a key asset this season, with his imposing stature and his ability to play long balls.
Boubakary Soumare returned back from his loan spell at Sevilla lining up alongside Hamza Choudhury in midfield.
Whether these players will play a part in the upcoming season remains to be seen. But Cooper will have to make his decision soon.
