Brentford manager Thomas Frank says Leicester City’s decision to sack Steve Cooper is “terrible timing” ahead of Saturday’s Premier League game.
Cooper lost his job last weekend following the Foxes’ 2-1 home defeat to Chelsea.
It came as a surprise to most and Leicester have since named Manchester United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy as Cooper’s replacement.
It is the Dutchman’s first full-time managerial job in England after twice managing United against Leicester in the interim earlier this season.
Frank was sympathetic to Cooper during his pre-match press conference, saying the timing was “terrible”, apparently expecting another managerial bounce, even if Van Nistelrooy will only be in the stands.
“It’s a terrible time for us! But we’ll be ready,” Frank said.
“Obviously it’s always sad when a co-manager loses his job. I know Steve quite well, we’ve met many times in the Championship and the Premier League.
“I think he’s a brilliant coach and he’s done well; from the outside I don’t really understand why [he was sacked], but I’m not on the inside.
“In terms of preparations, because they haven’t announced a new permanent manager, we don’t know exactly what shape or principles they’re going to bring in. So I’ve seen zero minutes of Leicester this week, it would just be a waste of time.
“And anyway, it’s more like 70/80 percent of us every time we prepare, how we play. And then we’ll mold ourselves to the style of play or the frame of the opponent. We don’t have that this time, so it’s just 100 percent of us.
“After we get the teams on Saturday, we’ll probably do a little bit more than usual.”
Frank added: “I always like to organize and plan and of course I still will, but I don’t know exactly what we’re going to face.
“One thing is for sure, Leicester will run and run and run! They will fight and do everything they can to cause us problems.
“But we have to be on it like we always have to be.”
Brentford boss Frank ‘doesn’t understand’ why Leicester sacked ‘brilliant’ Cooper: ‘Terrible timing’
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