Leicester City are in a real dogfight to keep their Premier League status.
As it stands, the Foxes are nine points behind 17th placed Wolverhampton Wanderers with only 10 games of the season to go.
This means that Leicester could be relegated by Nottingham Forest if things continue to stay as they are, but they have a chance to cut the deficit to six when the Foxes face Manchester United.
Ruud van Nistelrooy made a huge tactical tweak against Chelsea last time out, swapping to a 5-3-2 formation, which worked well on the whole. But, the Dutchman has relegation rivals Wolves to thank for the brave move.
Ruud van Nistelrooy is using Conor Coady to keep Leicester up
Van Nistelrooy has confirmed he will use the formation against Man United again as Leicester look to end a barren run of form that has seen them lose 12 of the last 13 Premier League games, and fail to score at home since 8 December.
One of those who benefitted from the chance was defender Conor Coady.
Coady started the first seven games under the Leicester boss before being dropped for the next seven. He then returned to the XI in the heart of a back three, which is where he spent his most successful years as a player with Wolves, and even England.
He played that exact role against Chelsea and was one of the better players and Van Nistelrooy admitted he was inspired by his previous exploits.
“He’s very vocal. He’s experienced in a back three or a back five, however you want to call it, in his period at Wolves,” the 48-year-old stated.
“He knows what is expected of the middle of the three and especially from the sides of the three who jump into the midfield when defending and also in the build-up.
“So he plays a vital role because he has experience in the system and also his coaching to players around him.”
Conor Coady’s Leicester City 24/25 season stats
For Coady, it’s been a mixed bag in regards to his Leicester career.
Sidelined by a foot injury at the start of the Enzo Maresca Championship title-winning season, Coady would’ve almost certainly started had it not been for that setback.
He’s struggled to hold down a regular spot in the side and Coady nearly completed a return to Wolves on deadline day, however, a swap deal involving Craig Dawson failed to materialise.
| Conor Coady stats |
| Appearances – 16 |
| Goals – 1 |
| Clean sheets – 0 |
| Interceptions per game – 0.6 |
| Tackles per game – 0.8 |
The centre-back has previous experience of relegation battles with Wolves and also Everton so is well accustomed to being in the position he is now.
Should Van Nistelrooy’s tactic work and the Foxes stay up, it could be his best achievement yet.