The Foxes were 16th in the Premier League and two points clear of the relegation zone but chose to make a change.
There were murmurs of a disconnect between the players and the manager. The picture of the players with an “Enzo, I miss you” means there could be substance to those claims.
Ruud Van Nistelrooy is the man they have chosen to replace Cooper. The legendary Premier League striker beat Leicester twice during his interim stint as Manchester United boss just a few weeks ago. Now his focus will be on helping the Foxes climb the table.
Leicester vs West Ham Market | Odds |
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Underlying Concerns - For Leicester Fans and Bettors
It hasn’t been all doom and gloom for Leicester in spite of the managerial change.
The Foxes haven’t won any of their last five competitive matches but have faced Manchester United twice and Chelsea during that period. It’s not for a lack of offensive ability. They have scored in 11 of their 12 Premier League matches ahead of their trip to Brentford at the weekend but there are concerns that have made the board act.
Going into matchday 13, Leicester’s underlying data was less convincing. They are the fourth biggest xG overperformers in the division, netting 15 goals from an xG of 12.37. They also had the third-worst xG with 23.3. Only Southampton and Ipswich have a higher expected goal against them.
The Foxes have also fallen behind in a large portion of their games. In fact, under Steve Cooper, the team were behind for 49.4% of the minutes they played in the Premier League. That’s considerably higher than the overall league average of 26.5%.
Ruud Has Show Promise in Fledgling Career
Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s first game in charge will likely be against West Ham on Tuesday night. This will give him very little time to get his ideas across before the midweek clash. However, he has shown the ability to make an immediate impression in the early stages of his managerial career.
Van Nistelrooy guided PSV to a 2nd place finish in his only season with the club. They also lifted the Dutch Cup after beating Ajax in the final. Eindhoven recorded victories over the likes of Arsenal and Monaco in Europe before Ruud resigned with one game remaining of the domestic season.
Ruud bolstered his reputation with his successful stint as interim manager at Old Trafford. Manchester United secured three wins and a draw under their former striker.
The Red Devils showed some of the hallmarks of Van Nistelorooy’s PSV side despite his short stint. The team were less frantic in possession than they were under Erik Ten Hag and aimed to have more control. Leicester will hope their new manager can bring a more positive style to the King Power Stadium.
There are plenty of reasons for optimism. They have scored one goal in all six of their Premier League matches in front of their own fans. Both teams have scored in five of those games and the Foxes’ competitive home matches have seen an average of 2.71 goals overall. Ruud will have no time to address defensive issues ahead of the West Ham clash so both teams to score appeals once again.