- Ruud van Nistelrooy suffered his first defeat as Leicester manager on Saturday
- The Foxes were defeated 4-0 by Eddie Howe’s Newcastle at St James’ Park
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Ruud van Nistelrooy has stressed that Leicester’s heavy 4-0 defeat to Newcastle is part of the ‘development’ of his new team.
A brace from Jacob Murphy, alongside goals from Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak, sank the Foxes at St James’ Park.
The loss was Van Nistelrooy’s first since taking over after he led Leicester to a win in their opening game against West Ham and a draw against Brighton five days later.
The Dutchman noted that his side is still ‘reflecting, learning and building’ having only taken charge two weeks ago on December 1.
‘It’s a great match to look back on, but it’s only been two weeks. “It was very positive to get four points at home against West Ham and Brighton,” he told BBC Sport.
“But this one went the other way. We still reflect, learn and build something together.
Ruud van Nistelrooy suffered his first defeat as Leicester boss after a 4-0 defeat to Newcastle
His team conceded a whopping 27 shots against Eddie Howe’s side at St James’ Park on Saturday
The defeat leaves the Foxes languishing in 16th place, now just two points clear of the drop zone
‘We are going to use this game for the development of the team. It was difficult. At half time it was 1-0. We were lucky not to be behind by more goals.
Van Nistelrooy attributed the loss to Leicester’s poor organization in set-piece situations, where they conceded three goals, and to Newcastle’s relentless intensity.
The visitors allowed Eddie Howe’s side 27 shots on target, compared to just four of their own in Van Nistelrooy’s first away game.
‘It is expensive if you have to give in in such standard situations. Then it would be difficult to turn the tide,” he said.
“We know how intense the Newcastle players are and the intensity with which they play. Many of the chances they created came from losing the ball and they were quick to counter-attack.
“We kept going and trying, but we have to take this one on the chin and move on.”
Following the defeat, Leicester now sit 16th in the Premier League, just two points ahead of Ipswich in the final relegation spot.
They host Gary O’Neil’s struggling Wolves side at the King Power Stadium next Sunday, who have managed just two wins in their last 15 games.