Ruud van Nistelrooy made the perfect start to his life as manager of Leicester City with a great 3-1 win over West Ham.
The Dutchman had only officially taken over Leicester on Sunday, with the former striker and interim Man United boss having to lift the side following a 4-1 defeat to Brentford at the weekend.
Jamie Vardy gave the hosts an ideal start, with the Foxes captain putting his side ahead in the second minute.
Despite West Ham allowing numerous shots on target, Leicester doubled their lead in the second half through Bilal El Khannouss.
Patson Daka added a late third for the hosts, before Niclas Fullkrug scored a consolation try for West Ham.
Mail Sport was there to analyze Van Nistelrooy’s every move.
Ruud van Nistelrooy enjoyed a perfect debut as Leicester boss with a 3-1 win over West Ham
TACTICS
Van Nistelrooy made no secret of the fact at his first press conference that his Leicester team would play 4-4-2 out of possession, but 3-4-3 when they had the ball with a wide player creating a ‘box’ on the midfield formed. .
They did so with winger Bilal El Khannouss coming in and left back Victor Kristiansen bombing forward.
Steve Cooper also lined up like that, but he rarely got such an attacking tune from the players as the Foxes passed and moved much faster.
However, he still needs to do wonders with this defense. West Ham scored EIGHTEEN shots in the first half. A more ruthless opponent would and should have given Ruud’s first evening a completely different feeling.
Victor Kristiansen bombed forward from the full-back according to Van Nistelrooy’s instructions
BODY LANGUAGE
You’d expect that a goal inside two minutes in your first match might discourage any sort of raucous celebration. A Jose Mourinho stormed down the touchline, perhaps. Not Ruud. A small double punch to the audience and then the hands back in the pockets. And there they stayed for most of the match. After all, he is Dutch.
He used the lulls in the game to convey his years of wisdom to his players, with a little word in the ear here and a hand gesture there.
It wasn’t until the second goal came that he really let go of his inhibitions. He went down the sideline, punching the air as he let out a roar before turning back to the crowd and pumping his fists. Not quite full Jurgen Klopp, but enough to get the crowd going.
Van Nistelrooy responded calmly after Jamie Vardy gave Leicester an early lead
However, the Dutchman let go of his inhibitions after Leicester took a 2-0 lead in the second half
CROWD REACTION
Surprisingly, there were no deafening chants of Van Nistelrooy’s name in the stadium for most of the match.
A small chant by a few hundred in the corner after about half an hour was the first audible song in praise of the new man in charge.
There were no big cheers at half-time as he walked down the tunnel either, but Leicester fans haven’t been the most accommodating towards the managers in recent times, but a first win will at least be a good sign. their book – and maybe Van Nistelrooy deserves a real song for next time.
SUBS
One of his first moves was to take out Vardy, the man who broke Van Nistelrooy’s own goals record at this venue nine years ago, scoring in 11 consecutive games just before the hour mark.
Ruud hugged Vardy like a favorite cousin, someone only nine years younger than him, and tapped him on both cheeks, followed by a warm hug and a pat on the back.
A minute later, Leicester scored their second. Midas touch, job done.
Van Nistelrooy hugged Vardy as the striker came off the pitch during the second half
FASHION
Gone are the sporting days of Steve Cooper, standing on the sidelines in his trousers and padded vest over a three-quarter zip, like a seven-handicap club golfer ready for his icy morning round.
Van Nistelrooy looked much smarter in the dugout, wearing a padded jacket but underneath a smart black coat, black jeans and black shoes with the look of a secret service agent.
The stiff cold in the East Midlands was a bit too much and within fifteen minutes the gloves came out. Black too of course.