Van Nistelrooy makes Lopetegui sacking inevitable as West Ham surely regret ignoring Man Utd audition

The new manager bounce was in full effect as Ruud van Nistelrooy immediately got a tune out of Leicester City which should have sealed Julen Lopetegui’s fate…

Ruud van Nistelrooy admitted he was ‘disappointed and hurt’ to be let go by Manchester United after Ruben Amorim’s arrival. Still, he can at least be grateful that the parting gift of a four-game audition as interim boss set him up for an immediate return to management.

The former PSV Eindhoven manager said he was “surprised” by the level of interest in him in response to his short but sweet stint as the main man in the Old Trafford dugout, so it is somewhat surprising that he landed at Leicester City.

Van Nistelrooy could easily have held out for a few weeks to join a club (eg West Ham) with a higher immediate cap. Instead, he quickly agreed, having been pushed in that direction by former boss Enzo Maresca, to relegation-threatened Leicester after they were reportedly turned down by one or two preferred targets – including David Moyes.

The Foxes were above the relegation zone by the skin of their teeth before Van Nistelrooy‘s first game in charge against fellow strugglers West Ham on Tuesday night and would have been keen for the positive impact of a new managerial bounce.

Fortunately for Leicester, it took just one minute and 39 seconds to take advantage of their fresh injection of optimism.

The home faithful responded in kind to their players’ aggressive opening against West Ham (who were deflated after their 5-2 loss to Arsenal on Saturday), and the hosts were rewarded for their bright start.

Bilal El Khannous was the provider for the early opener with an accurate through ball, but the goal was all about 37-year-old Jamie Vardy.

The veteran striker chipped off the back of Konstantinos Mavropanos and coolly found the far corner of the net past Lukasz Fabianski after beating the offside trap.

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Van Nistelrooy was reserved when he celebrated and was presumably aware of the risks of scoring ‘too early’.

The first 99 seconds were beyond Van Nistelrooy’s wildest dreams, but the rest of the first half showed why the Dutchman perhaps should have been more apprehensive about accepting the Leicester job.

Jarrod Bowen forced in-form goalkeeper Mads Hermansen into a couple of smart saves as West Ham surged into the opening half, while Leicester had to bravely defend their one-goal advantage.

The Hammers had 20 shots to Leicester’s three before the break. Van Nistelrooy would be right to be impressed by his side’s uncharacteristically strong defensive work, but their lack of confidence in the second half raised concerns.

Vardy showed in Leicester’s opener that he remains capable of the finishes and in-behind runs for which he became famous, although he needs to be more selective when making those moves as he is understandably not so all-action as he once was. This means that the supporting cast must step up and provide support on the counter attack when it is allowed to break free.

Leicester’s lack of confidence was evident at times as their backwards/sideways passes elicited the same apathetic groans heard during much of Steve Cooper’s failed stint as manager. This was while Vardy cut a frustrated figure as he was overly relied upon to produce every time he collected the ball.

Van Nistelrooy had just two days to work with his new players before this game and we are unlikely to see a big change in Leicester’s style in the coming weeks with limited training time during this grueling festive period.

However, the new boss showed his ability to make an impact in the middle of the game as Leicester took the game away from West Ham.

West Ham remained on top at the start of the second half, but Leicester were rewarded for stubbornness around the hour mark.

After the Hammers had a goal chalked off for the slightest push on Hermansen, the visitors were punished for their wasted chances as Leicester were clinical on the counter-attack. Moments after Vardy was taken off, Kasey McAteer found El Khannous, who expertly found the bottom corner with an accurate first-time finish.

Leicester were chalked up for another offside before substitute Patson Daka broke through on goal and fired fiercely high into the net to score his side’s third.

READ: West Ham giving Lopetegui ‘two games to save his job’ again pointless, ridiculous and weak

Niclas Fulkrug’s stoppage time goal ensured West Ham had something to show for their 30+ shots but was not enough to force a wry smile from Julen Lopetegui, who is the firm favorite to be the next Premier League manager sacked and would be lucky if he doesn’t lose his job before the weekend.

A report earlier this week claimed Lopetegui ‘could be in serious trouble if West Ham lose to Leicester’, with their board already ‘considering’ eight potential replacements.

There were positives for Lopetegui to take from this match. On another night, West Ham would have won as comfortably as they should with the number of chances they created.

Although this will not provide enough comfort for Lopetegui, whose side were wide open and too easily picked off by one of the Premier League’s weaker teams.

A positive summer in the transfer market fueled optimism at the London Stadium, but the board erred in naming Lopetegui (aka Moyes-lite) as supporters have not linked up with the like-for-like replacement for the equally pragmatic Scotsman .

West Ham’s players too have not responded well to Lopetegui’s introduction and have been too easily swept aside by superior and inferior opposition.

It’s time for West Ham’s board to right their summer wrong and get supporters back with the appointment of an exciting young manager because this underperforming squad is capable of much more than being stuck in the relegation picture.

As for Leicester, their upcoming opponents won’t be nearly as charitable as the Hammers and eye-opening setbacks are inevitable, but it’s a good first step for Van Nistelrooy, which will surely have made West Ham regret their decision not to strike while the iron was hot after his Man Utd audition.