Van Nistelrooy makes Lopetegui’s sacking inevitable as West Ham certainly regret ignoring Man Utd’s audition

The new coach’s success took full effect when Ruud van Nistelrooy immediately received a signal from Leicester City that should have sealed Julen Lopetegui’s fate…

Ruud van Nistelrooy admitted he was “disappointed and hurt” after being released by Manchester United after the arrival of Ruben Amorim. Still, he can at least be grateful that the parting gift of a four-game stint as interim boss prepared him for an immediate return to management.

The former PSV Eindhoven head coach said he was “amazed” by the level of interest in him in response to his short but good spell as a main player at Old Trafford, so it is somewhat surprising that he has ended up with him Leicester City.

Van Nistelrooy could have easily held out for a few weeks to join a club (e.g. West Ham) with a higher immediate ceiling. Instead, after being pushed in that direction by former coach Enzo Maresca, he quickly said yes to relegation-scared Leicester after they were reportedly turned down by one or two desired targets – including David Moyes.

The Foxes were previously just above the relegation zone Van NistelrooyHe had his first game as manager on Tuesday evening against West Ham, who were also struggling, and would have longed for the positive impact of a new manager.

Luckily for Leicester, it only took a minute and 39 seconds to benefit from the new dose of optimism.

The home fans reacted to their players’ aggressive opening against West Ham (who suffered from the 5-2 defeat to Arsenal on Saturday) and the hosts were rewarded for their good start.

Bilal El Khannous scored the early lead with a precise through ball, but the goal was entirely the fault of 37-year-old Jamie Vardy.

The experienced striker broke free from the back of Konstantinos Mavropanos and coolly found the far corner of the net past Lukasz Fabianski after narrowly beating the offside trap.

READ: Slot teaches Van Nistelrooy and Guardiola must “learn to accept defeat” like Klopp and Ferguson

Van Nistelrooy was cautious in his celebration, probably aware of the risks of scoring a goal “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 fearful about taking the Leicester job.

Jarrod Bowen forced some clever saves from in-form goalkeeper Mads Hermansen as West Ham moved ahead in the first half, with Leicester valiantly defending their one-goal lead.

The Hammers had 20 shots before the break, Leicester three. Van Nistelrooy would have been right to be impressed by his side’s unusually strong defensive work, but the lack of confidence in the other half was a cause for concern.

Vardy showed in the opening game at Leicester that he is still capable of the finishes and behind-the-scenes runs that he became famous for, although he will have to be more selective with these moves as he is understandably not as prolific as he used to be . This means that the supporting force must step up and support the counterattack if it can break free.

Leicester’s lack of confidence was evident at times as their backwards/sideways passes elicited the same apathetic groans often heard during Steve Cooper’s failed tenure as manager. This came while Vardy looked frustrated as he was being over-relied on to produce every time he collected the ball.

Van Nistelrooy has only had two days to work with his new players before this game and it is unlikely we will see a major change in Leicester’s style of play in the coming weeks with little training time available during this busy holiday period .

However, the new manager showed his ability to make an impact mid-game as Leicester took the game away from West Ham.

West Ham remained on top early in the second half, but Leicester were rewarded for their persistence around the hour mark.

After the Hammers were denied a goal due to the slightest push on Hermansen, the visitors were punished for their missed chances as Leicester took a more relaxed approach to the counter-attack. Shortly after Vardy’s clearance, Kasey McAteer found El Khannous, who expertly hit the bottom corner with a precise first-time finish.

Leicester were again ruled for offside before substitute Patson Daka charged towards goal and fired fiercely high into the net to score his team’s third goal.

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

Niclas Fulkrug’s stoppage-time goal gave West Ham something to show for their 30-plus shots, but wasn’t enough to elicit a wry smile from Julen Lopetegui. Who is the clear favorite to sack the next Premier League manager? and would be happy if he didn’t lose his job before the weekend.

That’s what a report claimed earlier this week Lopetegui “could be in serious trouble if West Ham lose to Leicester” with his board already “considering” eight possible replacements..

Lopetegui was able to take positive things from this game. On another night, West Ham would have won as comfortably as they should have with the amount of chances they created.

This will not be enough consolation for Lopetegui, however, as his side were wide open and too easily overwhelmed by one of the Premier League’s weaker teams.

A positive summer in the transfer market sparked optimism at the London Stadium, but the board made a mistake in appointing Lopetegui (aka Moyes-lite) as fans did not agree with a like-for-like replacement for the similarly pragmatic Scot.

West Ham’s players also did not respond well to Lopetegui’s introduction and were all too easily pushed aside by both superior and inferior opponents.

It’s time for the West Ham board to make amends for their summer mistake and get the fans back on board with the appointment of an exciting young coach, because this underperforming side is capable of much more than just being stuck in the relegation zone.

As for Leicester, their upcoming opponents won’t be anywhere near as generous as the Hammers and eye-opening setbacks are inevitable, but this is a great first step for Van Nistelrooy. Who will surely have made West Ham regret their decision not to strike while the iron was hot following his Man Utd audition.