Leicester City are sleepwalking towards relegation back to the Championship and there is nothing Ruud van Nistelrooy can do about it.
Van Nistelrooy replaced Steve Cooper as Leicester’s manager in November with the Foxes sitting two points above the relegation zone.
Leicester fans were pleased with the appointment of Van Nistelrooy, as the Dutchman was expected to bring an attractive brand of football to the King Power Stadium, differing from Cooper’s defensive style.
Instead, the 48-year-old has struggled to implement a winning philosophy, with City scoring just nine goals in 11 matches under the former Manchester United striker.
Alarmingly, five of those goals came in his first two games in charge, meaning only four have been scored in the nine matches that have followed.
However, despite being toothless in front of goal, an even bigger problem has been exposed under Van Nistelrooy, and it’s one Jonny Evans didn’t predict.
Jonny Evans said Ruud van Nistelrooy is ‘obsessed with defensive structure’
When the current Leicester boss was working as the understudy to Erik ten Hag at Man United, former defender Evans praised Van Nistelrooy for his defensive structure.
Speaking in September, the 37-year-old said: “He was a deadly striker and for him to pass on his knowledge straight away meant he had everyone’s respect immediately.
“Joining United is a great move for him and for the club. He seems very open and wants to improve people. You can see that he’s early enough in his career that he’s hungry to do well and pass on his abundance of knowledge. He’s quite obsessed with defensive structure.”
The closing line ‘obsessed with defensive structure’ is a line that couldn’t be any further away from the truth at Leicester, with Van Nistelrooy’s men conceding goals for fun.
Leicester City’s abysmal defensive record under Van Nistelrooy
In Leicester’s 4-0 defeat to Everton on Saturday, the visitors were in disarray defensively, as their back line was carved open like a pumpkin.
Centre-back duo Jannik Vestergaard and Wout Faes were blasted for their woeful displays but they aren’t the sole reason the Foxes have struggled at the back.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 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 |
The whole team is just so easy to play through; the attackers don’t press hard enough, the midfield structure is non-existent and Van Nistelrooy’s insistence on playing a high line is costing them dearly.
| Leicester City’s defensive record under Ruud van Nistelrooy |
| 11 games |
| 26 goals conceded |
| 0.83 points per match |
As shown by the above table, Leicester have conceded a whopping 26 goals in 11 matches under the Dutchman, suggesting how easy they are to break through.
Unfortunately, this rate of shipping goals is unsustainable in the battle against relegation, with no chance of survival if it carries on.