.
As a player, the Dutchman scored 150 goals in fewer than 200 starts during an astonishing five‑year period at United. After his return as Erik ten Hag’s assistant coach last year, he briefly replaced his compatriot in October for a successful four-game interim spell in which United won three matches (scoring 11 and conceding three) and drew at home to Chelsea.
Much was expected of Van Nistelrooy when he was appointed by Leicester shortly after and the same could be said of Ruben Amorim at Manchester United. But a quick glance at some key metrics shows that both clubs have got worse since Van Nistelrooy left Old Trafford.
Under Steve Cooper Leicester had struggled at both ends of the pitch. They had the lowest xG (13.72) according to Opta with the fewest shots per game (9.8) in the Premier League when Cooper was sacked on 24 November and had conceded the third-highest xG against (26.6). Only two teams had let in more goals than Leicester (23) or conceded more shots per game (17.6). In almost all key stats, from points per game (0.64 to Cooper’s 1.08) to xG, Leicester are inferior under Van Nistelrooy.
To make a bad situation worse, Leicester have not made significant improvement in terms of tactical style and their struggles cannot be attributed to getting to grips with a new system, an argument that has perhaps mitigated some of United’s recent form. Leicester are having even less possession under Van Nistelrooy than under Cooper, still heavily reliant on a low block and over-reliant on counterattacking and the ageing Jamie Vardy.
There have been few highlights and even in one of Van Nistelrooy’s two league wins – 3-1 at home to West Ham …
Read More
