Ruud van Nistelrooy has made Leicester City worse since Steve Cooper was sacked – the stats don’t lie

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It’s been a long two months for Ruud van Nistelrooy in charge of Leicester City.

Appointed in November to replace Steve Cooper after he was sacked by Leicester, there was a wave of optimism surrounding Van Nistelrooy’s arrival.

A win against West Ham United and a draw against Brighton & Hove Albion in his first two games gave all the signs that a change in fortunes was on it’s way.

However, since then, it’s been a torrid time for Leicester. Eight defeats in their last nine Premier League games have seen them drop into the relegation zone, with fans even turning on the Leicester boss at some stages of the season.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
13	Man UtdManchester United	24	8	5	11	28	34	-6	29
14	TottenhamTottenham	24	8	3	13	48	37	11	27
15	West HamWest Ham	24	7	6	11	29	46	-17	27
16	EvertonEverton	23	6	8	9	23	28	-5	26
17	WolvesWolves	24	5	4	15	34	52	-18	19
18	LeicesterLeicester	24	4	5	15	25	53	-28	17
19	IpswichIpswich	24	3	7	14	22	49	-27	16
20	SouthamptonSouthampton	24	2	3	19	18	54	-36	9

Jon Rudkin is at the centre of the blame, according to Foxes fans and large swathes of the support still back the current manager.

His next game will be a return to Manchester United in the FA Cup – a team Van Nistelrooy didn’t want to face.

He faces Ruben Amorim, who in comparison to the Leicester boss, has had a slightly better start to life as a manager in England.

What appears more concerning though is that Leicester seem to have gone backwards under Van Nistelrooy.

• READ MORE: Rob Tanner issues honest response when asked if Ruud van Nistelrooy has lost the Leicester City dressing room

Ruud van Nistelrooy vs Steve Cooper stats

The decision to appoint Van Nistelrooy was a popular one from Leicester fans.

Many felt he should’ve been the chosen one to replace Enzo Maresca in the summer, highlighting that his preferred style of play wasn’t too similar to what the players had enjoyed in the previous season.

Cooper’s football was tedious to watch and fans and players became disgruntled with it. In terms of team harmony, it was the right decision but, from a results perspective, the stats say otherwise.

When Cooper was dismissed, the Foxes were 16th in the table. Now, they sit 18th. The number of goals scored are down (1.25 under Cooper and 0.82 under Van Nistelrooy).

In fact, the only area the Dutchman can boast for having a better record is creating more big chances – but only marginally by 0.5.

Ruud van Nistelrooy has been sold short by Leicester City board

One argument that Van Nistelrooy can use to defend his time is the lack of support from the board.

Leicester signed one player in the transfer window whereas clubs around them have strengthened.

• READ MORE: Leicester City ‘knew what was needed’, Ruud van Nistelrooy ‘would be within his rights’ to leave – transfer window in review

There are fears that Van Nistelrooy could quit Leicester following a disastrous window for the Foxes.

PSR fears still hang over Leicester which have definitely affected the way the club have done business but at the expense of leaving their manager hung out to dry with a lack of resources.

With 14 games to go, time will tell if things will change.