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How Ruud van Nistelrooy avoided permanent stain to be owed favour by Leicester City board

Leicester City manager Ruud van Nistelrooy applauds the supporters after the 2-1 win over Tottenham
-Credit:Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images


The non-stop pacing of his technical area before the final whistle and the tightness with which he hugged goalscorers Bilal El Khannouss and Jamie Vardy moments after the result was confirmed suggested Ruud van Nistelrooy was overcome by relief at finally ending Leicester City’s losing run.

Asked if that was his overriding emotion, he gave a yes and a no. Yes, because “the win was needed and very welcome” after seven straight Premier League defeats. No, because, he said: “I believe in what we’re doing, so in that sense I’m not relieved or surprised that this team is capable of doing these things.”

It certainly would not be unusual if relief did wash over the Dutchman. This has been a fraught week for him. All around City there’s been talk of a crisis.

READ MORE: Leicester City player ratings v Tottenham as superb Stolarczyk helps end dismal run

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Fans, already angry with the board, turned on van Nistelrooy for the first time after back-to-back home defeats in which they failed to score. Reports emerged of heated exchanges with players, suggesting a lack of unity behind the scenes. There’s been limited transfer activity.

All of that, and van Nistelrooy was heading into a fixture in which a loss would have equalled the club’s worst-ever run of eight straight defeats. Coming just 10 matches into his tenure, that would have been a stain on van Nistelrooy’s record that he’d have struggled to wash into insignificance.

He had tried to keep things positive. In what feels like an old-school tactic, but perhaps is still effective, he took the squad out for a meal in midweek, promoting a sense of togetherness. Even so, when he spoke in his pre-match press conference, he did seem a little dispirited, like the week had worn him down.

But now he has a result. It’s one City were due. In that seven-match losing run, they were not so catastrophically bad every week so as to undoubtedly deserve every defeat. A point here or there would have been more reflective of their efforts.

And that points to why van Nistelrooy said he wasn’t relieved. He wasn’t being untruthful when he said he knew City were capable of a result like this. They just needed things to fall their way.

Really, they performed no better at Tottenham and than they did in the home games against Manchester City and Crystal Palace. There were just a few upticks in key areas.

Firstly, they took their chances after a few weeks of iffy finishing. They also came out for the second half at a better tempo than of late. Van Nistelrooy said there was no special half-time message to generate the quickfire double after the restart, but perhaps the harsh words that followed Fulham, when City were dreadful after half-time, were still ringing in the players’ ears.

They also had a goalkeeper perform well, Jakub Stolarczyk giving his best Premier League display so far. But perhaps the biggest difference was the quality with which they defended the final 35 minutes.

After a five-minute push for a third, City sat deep. They would likely have preferred to keep the ball better and not cede so much territory to Spurs, but a nervousness seemed to play its part.

But while Spurs the possession and time to push for an equaliser, they rarely came close. On Match of the Day 2, aside from Mikey Moore’s offside effort in added time, there wasn’t a single highlight after Pedro Porro’s free-kick against the bar just after the hour. Despite being on the back foot, the defence and Stolarczyk marshalled the box superbly.

And now City sit outside the bottom three again. They have lifted the weight off their shoulders in ending the dismal run, but seeing their name in 17th also offers a reward too.

It should hush, at least to a degree, the talk of a crisis around the team, if not the club. It should make the build-up to Everton less stressful. Hopefully, City’s worst period of the season is now behind them.

Bilal El Khannouss celebrates after putting Leicester City ahead at Tottenham Hotspur.
Bilal El Khannouss celebrates after putting Leicester City ahead at Tottenham Hotspur.

Where Stolarczyk may be better than Hermansen

It wasn’t just Vardy and El Khannouss that got hearty hugs from van Nistelrooy. Stolarczyk got an almighty pat on the back from the manager too. It was the Pole’s first taste of victory in the Premier League and he played a big part in it.

He made several fine saves, especially the fingertip stop to deny Son Heung-min in the first half. The Spurs captain’s shot really did look destined for the bottom corner. He was out quickly too to close the angle for Dejan Kulusevski’s one-on-one in the second half.

Given it’s expected Mads Hermansen will attract significant interest this summer – those expectations growing every week Robert Sanchez makes a mistake for Chelsea – Stolarczyk’s performances are often analysed in comparison to the Dane. They’re looked at through the lens of whether he is a potential number one at Premier League level.

It still feels too early to judge that, although displays like this do no harm. At the moment, his shot-stopping and his quality with the ball at his feet are not quite on Hermansen’s level. But there is one area where he perhaps even surpasses the Dane, and it’s a big help for the situation City are in.

Stolarczyk seems much more confident in coming to punch crosses clear. While Hermansen tends to stick to his line, relying on his reflexes should the shot come in, Stolarczyk will venture outside his six-yard box to attack a delivery into the area.

He did so with confidence and good timing too. There was never a moment where he misjudged the flight of the ball. He always got firm enough contact on his punches to at least let the City defence reset. When City are in the position they’re in and defending a lead, that’s an important quality to have.

Van Nistelrooy justified in meltdown-inducing selection

Having been taunted by a chant of “you don’t know what you’re doing” against Fulham, van Nistelrooy set himself up for it to be repeated when he named Bobby De Cordova-Reid in the starting line-up. Fans wanted Stephy Mavididi and Facundo Buonanotte on the wings, but instead De Cordova-Reid was given his first league start since August, while Jordan Ayew retained his spot on the other flank.

Against Spurs’ notoriously high line, City were playing a front three with a combined age of 102, geriatric in football terms. Spurs didn’t exactly have whippersnappers in their line-up, but their front three were collectively 19 years younger.

But by full-time, van Nistelrooy was justified. De Cordova-Reid had assisted both goals. His cross for the first was especially good, played perfectly between the Spurs back-line and Antonin Kinsky to tee up Vardy for a tap-in.

It’s not that Mavididi would never have played such a cross, but he would have been far more likely to cut inside and go for goal. With age, perhaps there is a greater selflessness.

Twenty-year-old El Khannouss also provided proof of that. His greed in the first half cost City a couple of good moments, but then again, it did lead to him scoring the sumptuous winning goal.

What De Cordova-Reid’s performance should do is liven up Mavididi. He’s not been bad recently, but neither has he been excellent. With greater competition for places, he will know he needs to raise his game.

It does work. Even at right-back, James Justin’s performances have improved since Woyo Coulibaly was announced as a new signing.

Mavididi now has to win his place back. There won’t be a social media meltdown if De Cordova-Reid starts again at Everton.

Bobby Decordova-Reid (right) runs with the ball during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City.
Bobby Decordova-Reid (right) runs with the ball during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City.

'Exceptional' Soumare in the zone

That’s now seven league starts in a row for Boubakary Soumare, tying his longest run in the City 11. That his performances are growing in quality tallies with what’s always been known about the French midfielder.

He’s at his best when he’s in the zone. Yes, he can be dropped into a game and may produce a couple of moments of brilliance where he’ll shrug off a challenge and surge forward, but in the next beat he’ll lose concentration and let his midfield runner escape him.

He’s far less likely to do that when he has a run of games. He gets into the swing of playing regularly and stays sharp for 90 minutes. Previously, when he’s reached those points of consistently good 90-minute displays, there’s been an interruption, whether that’s injury or, as in 22-23, a month-long World Cup.

But he’s been afforded that consistency by van Nistelrooy and it’s paying off. Against Spurs, he matched his season’s best tallies for combined tackle and interceptions, and for ball recoveries. He was alert throughout, stealing possession for the City winner.

But was it his best City display? Van Nistelrooy’s answers shows how highly he rates him. He said: “No, I think it was in line with the performances of the other weeks. I think he’s been exceptional, right from the beginning that we started working together. It’s in line with his previous performances because they were all outstanding.”

Board must return the favour to van Nistelrooy

Having the chairman and director of football in the stands can be ominous for a manager on a seven-match losing streak. But by full-time, van Nistelrooy was getting a thumbs up from Aiyawatt ‘Top’ Srivaddhanaprabha.

In earning the victory, van Nistelrooy has probably helped stave off some criticism of the hierarchy. Social media is not so awash with talk of the mooted protest for the next home game right now.

So maybe it’s now the board’s time to help van Nistelrooy. There’s one week left in the transfer window. The one new signing they have so far isn’t enough to be satisfactory. A couple more are required, not only to help the manager, but to give the impression the club really are striving with everything they have to stay in the Premier League.

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