Leicester City have confirmed the appointment of Ruud Van Nistelrooy as their new head coach on a three-year deal.
The legendary striker was in attendance in London to watch Brentford thrash the Foxes 4-1 and will have identified plenty of problems to address. Van Nistelrooy faces his first test as Leicester boss in a couple of days when the Foxes host West Ham United in a Premier League clash.
A major criticism of Steve Cooper’s managerial stint at Leicester was his failure to implement a noticeable identity to the team. Van Nistelrooy will make it his priority to give this Foxes side a style and an identity. It won’t be easy, though.
It’s not as if Cooper did not try doing so. He set up his team to be fluid with their movements, with particular emphasis on the rotations of the full-backs and the wingers. Ultimately, the tactics or, rather, their implementation did not work out. While Cooper will take most of the blame, the players should also be accountable. The defence has been absolutely horrendous lately, with individual mistakes occurring far too regularly for a Premier League side.
Despite his limited managerial experience, Van Nistelrooy has shown his tactical expertise in his stints at PSV Eindhoven and Manchester United. However, both teams are giants in their respective leagues, and managing a club fighting for relegation and starved for funds will be a completely different challenge for the Dutchman.
Ruud Van Nistelrooy must fix Leicester City’s leaky defence
Van Nistelrooy’s tactics are similar to Cooper’s. He likes one of his full-backs pushing up with the other one tucking inside to form a three-man backline. However, instead of the winger moving to the centre of the pitch, he stays on the same flank as the advancing full–back. Additionally, the attacking midfielder also drifts wide to support the winger, with Van Nistelrooy aiming to create a numerical overload on that flank.
James Justin is the only defender capable of playing as an inverted full-back, but he has been poor this season. Van Nistelroooy must bring out the best out of the former England international if he wants to make Leicester solid at the back. It also remains to be seen whether the Dutchman plays Luke Thomas or Victor Kristiansen in left-back.
It has been a tough few weeks for Leicester, but there is cautious optimism that Ruud Van Nistelrooy is the man who can keep the Foxes in the Premier League.
