Leicester City manager Ruud van Nistelrooy has stated that should his side be relegated to the Championship he will honour his contract and not walk away.
But after another dismal display by his relegation-haunted team at the London Stadium he could be forgiven for changing his mind.
After 11 defeats in 12 games, the club’s board who appointed him just three months ago could also be forgiven for considering whether they should also honour his contract.
In the past few campaigns there have been clubs who have made two managerial changes in one season, but no club has done so yet this campaign and despite their dismal form, there is no indication Leicester will buck that trend.
Leicester weren’t performing particularly well under Steve Cooper in the first 12 games of the season. The fact they were outside the bottom three at the time of his sacking may have papered over some cracks, but in recent weeks Leicester have started to disintegrate under Van Nistelrooy’s tenure with a succession of tepid displays lacking passion or fight.
After the debacle of the Brentford defeat last Friday, Van Nistelrooy will have been hoping for a reaction from his players, but they turned in a display that will have left many fans wondering if they actually care, after moments where they almost seemed to give up in chasing back and battling for a way back into the game. West Ham will rarely have had such a comfortable evening.
After such a poor run of results and displays, particularly in both thirds of the pitch, any manager would be on thin ice.
And yet the Leicester fans have not turned on Van Nistelrooy — not in the ground anyway. Many understand that he inherited a squad short of the required quality for the Premier League and then was not backed in the January transfers window. Instead, their ire is reserved for those who have made the decisions that have led Leicester to the brink of a second relegation in three seasons.
Internally, there seems to be empathy towards his situation and a yearning for him to somehow conjure a performance that can kickstart a miracle, but it is simply not happening.
After the defeat at West Ham, Leicester now face Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Newcastle, Brighton and champions-elect Liverpool. Where a positive result will come from in that run of fixtures is difficult to fathom.
With that in mind, there may also be the thinking of what would be the point of changing manager for a second time — and sixth time in three seasons — at this stage of the campaign, especially with the cost of removing Van Nistelrooy likely to negatively impact the club’s efforts to comply with profit and sustainability rules.
Would it actually change anything? Who would be available and willing at this stage to come in and make a tangible difference with the same set of players?
On Thursday evening Leicester faced a West Ham United side where a new manager has made an impact.
Graham Potter was the manager Leicester wanted after the sacking of Brendan Rodgers and again after the departure of Enzo Maresca to Chelsea. Both times he was reluctant.
Potter has made a clear impact at West Ham, setting up one-on-one meetings with the players, making the under-21s feel part of a bigger picture, communicating a simplified and clear message to his players, especially tightening up his defence and stopping the flow of goals they were conceding. West Ham have now kept back-to-back clean sheets, in stark contrast to Leicester’s abysmal defending.
(Ben Stanshall/AFP via Getty Images)
When Van Nistelrooy arrived at Leicester he did very similar things, involving some of the under-21s in his first team training sessions, even including Jeremy Monga, a 15-year-old, in his squad for the FA Cup defeat at Manchester United.
His communication is clear and direct, and he commands respect from his players, although after their tepid display at West Ham their commitment to the cause could certainly be questioned.
One big difference between the two has been Potter’s pragmatism. Van Nistelrooy, in contrast, has been totally wedded to his system and many of the participants in it, reluctant to change in the misguided belief that things will get better. His faith in certain players has not been repaid.
Jamie Vardy is one of the few Leicester players out of contract this year (Ben Stanshall/AFP via Getty Images)
In contrast, Potter has been tinkering with his system and personnel, finally settling on a 5-3-2 with the excellent Jarrod Bowen leading the line. He has found a formula that has turned the tide for West Ham and moved them closer on points to Nottingham Forest in third than two Leicester in 19th.
Van Nistelrooy may feel he has tried all he can but there is nothing more to ring out of this squad, which has to be the worst Leicester has had in the Premier League this century.
If there is a resignation that Leicester’s Premier League place is no longer salvageable then decisions must be made now. If Van Nistelrooy is to remain in charge and be handed the task of completely revamping this squad then the planning for next season must start immediately.
The current squad needs a huge clear out, but with only Danny Ward, Daniel Iversen and Jamie Vardy out of contract, some work will have to be done to move players on because based on their displays this season very few clubs will want many of them.
For now, Van Nistelrooy surely has to start experimenting with those he wants to keep next season, and most importantly those who have the heart for another promotion campaign.
In the process he might stumble onto something that improves the team in the short term. Even in a situation as troubling as Leicester’s right now, there is always that hope.
(Header photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
