Leicester City's New Era: Unpacking Ruud van Nistelrooy's Managerial Style

Get an in-depth look at Ruud van Nistelrooy's football philosophy and how it will influence Leicester City's performances.

Leicester City fans are eagerly anticipating the arrival of new manager Ruud van Nistelrooy, who has taken the reins following the departure of Steve Cooper. Interestingly, Leicester had previously faced Van Nistelrooy's Manchester United side on two occasions, suffering defeats on both occasions.

As the Foxes look to adapt to their new manager's style, fans can expect a flexible approach from Van Nistelrooy, who has only one season of senior managerial experience under his belt. While he may not have a distinct tactical identity, there are certain principles that he has consistently adhered to, both in and out of possession.

Let's analyze how Van Nistelrooy is likely to set up his Leicester side.

Van Nistelrooy, similar to notable managers like Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta, prefers a box midfield formation when his team is in possession. This setup typically features two defensive midfielders positioned behind two number 10s, creating a box-like shape.

To achieve this formation, Van Nistelrooy often employs a tactical approach where a winger moves into a central position, allowing the full-back to advance forward and occupy the winger's original position. This strategy was commonly used during his tenure at PSV, differing from the approach used by Manchester City and Arsenal, where a defender typically steps into midfield while in possession.

Van Nistelrooy's attacking strategy yielded positive results, as his team topped the Eredivisie's scoring charts that season. However, it's worth noting that he heavily relied on the individual talent and initiative of his forwards to create scoring opportunities. Additionally, Van Nistelrooy often struggled to devise effective strategies to break down well-organized defensive teams that employed low blocks.

Upon taking the helm at PSV, Van Nistelrooy inherited a team that had previously adopted a high-pressing approach under Roger Schmidt, characterized by a high defensive line and intense pressure applied deep within the opposition's half. However, Van Nistelrooy opted for a more cautious approach, instead employing a mid-block defensive strategy.

When out of possession, Van Nistelrooy's team would typically revert to a 4-2-3-1 formation. However, when in possession, the left-winger, initially Cody Gakpo and later Xavi Simons after Gakpo's departure, would assume the role of a second number 10, creating a more fluid attacking shape.

On the right flank, wingers Noni Madueke or Johan Bakayoko would maintain a wide position, hugging the touchline, while the full-back would drop back to form a defensive trio. This tactical approach highlights the significance of wingers in Van Nistelrooy's system, as most attacks are initiated from the flanks. The impressive goal contributions from Gakpo, Xavi Simons, and Bakayoko (who scored 10 goals in 17 league starts) demonstrate the crucial role that wingers play in Van Nistelrooy's attacking strategy.

Van Nistelrooy's team adopted a mid-block defensive approach, where they wouldn't sit extremely deep or push excessively high up the field. Instead, they would form a compact, narrow block and delay their press until the opposition moved the ball to a full-back or central midfielder. This approach meant that the opposing goalkeeper and center-backs were not subjected to intense pressure.

Initially, this new defensive strategy caused some issues for Van Nistelrooy, as his forwards continued to press high up the field, a habit inherited from the previous manager, Roger Schmidt. Meanwhile, the backline, following Van Nistelrooy's instructions, maintained a relatively deeper position, resulting in significant gaps in the team's defensive structure. As a consequence, PSV managed to keep only five clean sheets under Van Nistelrooy's guidance during the first half of the season.

As the season progressed, PSV's defensive performance showed improvement, with the team keeping nine clean sheets in the second half of the campaign, compared to just five in the first half. This uptick in defensive solidity was a welcome development, as the team had previously struggled to maintain a strong defensive foundation.

Despite this improvement, Van Nistelrooy's PSV side remained defensively vulnerable for much of the season, conceding more goals than five other Eredivisie teams, including three teams with significantly weaker squads. This defensive fragility could pose a significant challenge for Van Nistelrooy at Leicester, where his team may not dominate possession as frequently. However, his brief interim stint at Manchester United offered some encouraging signs, as the team kept two clean sheets and conceded only 1.10 expected goals in a 1-1 draw against a strong Chelsea side, suggesting that Van Nistelrooy may have refined his defensive tactics since leaving PSV.

One of the most impressive aspects of Van Nistelrooy's managerial career to date is his ability to adapt to different opponents and situations. This flexibility has allowed him to make effective adjustments to his team's strategy, often with positive results.

A notable example of Van Nistelrooy's adaptability is evident in PSV's matches against the Netherlands' top teams, including Ajax and Feyenoord. While PSV averaged 55.5% possession throughout the season, this average dropped to 39.3% in the six matches against these top opponents. Despite ceding possession, PSV achieved impressive results, winning five and drawing one of these matches.

In several matches, including a 2-0 Europa League victory over Arsenal, Van Nistelrooy employed a more reactive approach, instructing his team to sit deeper without possession and adopt a more direct style when in possession. This strategy proved effective, as his team launched several potent counter-attacks that caught their opponents off guard.

Van Nistelrooy's reactive tactics yielded impressive results against top-tier teams, allowing him to outmaneuver esteemed managers like Mikel Arteta and Arne Slot. This approach also contributed to PSV's Dutch Cup triumph. However, it was Van Nistelrooy's struggles to adapt his tactics when facing weaker opponents, rather than his performance in high-profile matches, that ultimately led to PSV finishing second to Feyenoord in the league. Nevertheless, Van Nistelrooy demonstrated a willingness to learn from his mistakes and adjust his tactics throughout the season, rather than rigidly adhering to ineffective approaches.

Given his past successes at PSF, it's likely that Van Nistavelloroy's Leicester City will employ a counter-attacking style of play. This approach, which involves quickly transitioning from defense to offense, proved effective for Van Nistelroy during his time at PSF, particularly against evenly matched or stronger opponents.

Van Nistelroy may opt to use this counter-attacking approach more frequently at Leicester, rather than focusing on maintaining possession. This decision would be influenced by the fact that most Premier League teams are stronger or more evenly matched than Leicester, who have one of the weaker squads in the top flight.

Facundo Buonanotte, on loan from Brighton, appears to be well-suited for the role of a narrow winger on the right flank. In a likely 4-2-3-1 formation, this could lead to the right-back being tasked with making overlapping runs forward, while the left-back maintains a deeper position and the left-winger stays wide, providing width to the team.

Van Nistelrooy's preferred midfield pivot at PSV typically consisted of a physical enforcer, Ibrahim Sangare, paired with a creative playmaker, Joey Veerman. At Leicester, he may opt to replicate this dynamic by partnering Wilfred Ndidi, who can provide defensive solidity, with Harry Winks, who can offer creative flair and control in midfield.