Ruud doesn’t rate us - so what’s a realistic aim for Leicester City at West Ham?
Has Ruud van Nistelrooy thrown in the towel as Leicester City fall further away from Premier League safety? What is left for Leicester City fans to cling to ahead of the trip to the London Stadium?
First of all, let’s recap what van Nistelrooy said after the 4-0 defeat to Brentford last Friday.
“From now on, I can only ask the players to play to their capabilities. So far we are doing everything we can but the level of opposition that we face is too big for us. It's difficult to compete. We get disappointed every week and then we have to try and pick ourselves up.
We have to recover from blow after blow. Then we have to pick ourselves up and try and get some positives performances. I can only say that every individual, me first, is taking full responsibility. I have to recover and reflect, like all the staff here and take it from there.
Brentford took over. They killed the game. Overall you have to give them credit, they outplayed us. They are ahead of us with their squad. It was too difficult for us to compete with them.”
These words should go down in the annals of recent Leicester City history as damning of the current regime. You could file this statement next to “It’s like a Ferrari and a Mini in a race” from Brendan Rodgers and “Now the season is finished, I need to sit with the club and to try to clarify things that unfortunately this year I didn’t like” from Enzo Maresca.
All three have been accustomed to playing or managing at elite level and all three would appear to have become misaligned with the club’s senior leadership to such an extent that they either killed off any hopes the fans had of being competitive or called out poor practices.
In the meantime, Leicester City fans are left to readjust expectations again. So what exactly have we got left to realistically demand from the remaining games, starting at West Ham tomorrow night?
Something different
The slump upon reading the same team news and setup an hour and a quarter before kickoff has become a visceral experience. It’s actually morale-sapping to see and although we now know Ruud van Nistelrooy doesn’t think he has the resources to compete at Premier League level, it’s imperative he changes something.
Nobody can suggest a competent-looking defence because it doesn’t exist, particularly at centre-back, but even if any changes aren’t going to result in Leicester staying up, it’s become a moral obligation to people who spend money watching this team to offer something different.
Both Steve Cooper and van Nistelrooy have become wedded to formations proven not to work. If that’s because the players aren’t good enough regardless of how they’re being arranged on the pitch then fine - but you have to at least show you’re capable of being flexible.
Not folding if we concede first
Leicester have conceded a second goal within ten minutes of the opener in each of the past three league games. At Everton, the gap was five minutes. Against Arsenal, it was six. Against Brentford, it was ten with another materialising after five more minutes.
It’s understandable in the current situation that heads would go down after the opposition score the opening goal as it happens so often. But losing is one thing. Not even staying in games is another. Only four times in the past twelve matches have Leicester been within one goal of their opponents going into the final ten minutes.
Despite a similarly poor record and an equal number of points across the season, Ipswich’s equivalent figure is eight out of twelve - and all six of the games prior to that too.
The atmosphere on Filbert Way has shifted from an initially supportive environment to an oscillation between toxicity and apathy over the past few months, so the players may not be playing for the fans any more. Van Nistelrooy’s comments, although founded in realism, aren’t the most motivational either. But those running out with a fox on their chest need to find something to play for, even if it’s just their own personal pride.
Blocking runners
We don’t have good defenders, but we have plenty of experienced defenders who you’d expect to be able to do the basics. Quite often that comes down to simply blocking runners and denying them space to make an impact.
Mikel Merino’s two goals for Arsenal were both preventable, if either Wout Faes or Woyo Coulibaly had taken responsibility for the first and Victor Kristiansen had got back properly for the second. Merino was left free on both occasions.
Leicester’s defenders need to recognise danger, stop watching the ball and use the physicality we have to better disrupt the opposition.
Dealing with the main threat
Brentford’s first two goals came from their main threats - Yoann Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo. Not only that: Wissa was allowed to stroll straight through the middle of our defence to score the first, while Mbeumo’s goal was so obvious it was painful. A classic cut inside on his stronger left foot from the goalscoring inverted right winger.
So however West Ham score their inevitable goals, let’s try to make it hard for them. Jarred Bowen must have watched the video of Mbeumo’s goal and laughed. Tomas Soucek would have enjoyed watching Christian Norgaard’s easy header from a set piece too.
It takes 90-plus minutes of concentration to play above yourself at Premier League level and achieve something. We’ve seen little to suggest the players can maintain that concentration for long periods, but we want to be pleasantly surprised.
Energy in attack
Leicester aren’t going to be able to magic up a decent winger out of thin air but there are things van Nistelrooy could do to shake up the attack. The most obvious solution is Facundo Buonanotte, who may not be in top form but offers a spark even at his worst that Bobby Decordova-Reid can’t match.
Stephy Mavididi is overrated by large numbers of Leicester fans. Nonetheless, van Nistelrooy has a responsibility to ensure Leicester pose a threat to opposition defences and Mavididi has shown he can worry full-backs with his pace and one-on-one ability. And if he can’t be trusted to help Victor Kristiansen in defence, perhaps the midfield could be strengthened in numbers to ensure someone can shuttle across as cover.
The elephant in the room has to be addressed too. No true Leicester fan ever wants to be seen to denigrate Jamie Vardy but to start a 38-year-old in every game when the team can’t score is not the answer. Patson Daka divides opinion, to put it mildly, but it’s time he was given a chance.
Wholesale subs early if it’s not working
It seemed implausible that van Nistelrooy would pick both Decordova-Reid and Ayew yet again to face Brentford, but he did. And we had to wait until half time despite Brentford racking up three goals for a change to be made.
Be early. Be bold. Be decisive. Change it if it isn’t working. Otherwise, it looks like we’ve already given up.
Across the entire club, we need to see some evidence the white flag hasn’t been raised just yet.
