‘Be Strong & Committed’ - van Nistelrooy On The Task In Hand

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‘Be Strong & Committed’ - van Nistelrooy On The Task In Hand

There’s only one aim on the agenda for Ruud van Nistelrooy ahead of facing Tottenham Hotspur and that’s to pick up a positive result in the capital.

2025-01-26T07:00+00:00

by Sam Jones

Published

26 Jan, 2025

‘Be Strong & Committed’ - van Nistelrooy On The Task In Hand

There’s only one aim on the agenda for Ruud van Nistelrooy ahead of facing Tottenham Hotspur and that’s to pick up a positive result in the capital.

Sam Jones

2025-01-26T07:00+00:00

‘Be Strong & Committed’ - van Nistelrooy On The Task In Hand

There’s only one aim on the agenda for Ruud van Nistelrooy ahead of facing Tottenham Hotspur and that’s to pick up a positive result in the capital.

Sam Jones

2025-01-26T07:00+00:00

‘Be Strong & Committed’ - van Nistelrooy On The Task In Hand

There’s only one aim on the agenda for Ruud van Nistelrooy ahead of facing Tottenham Hotspur and that’s to pick up a positive result in the capital.

Sam Jones

2025-01-26T07:00+00:00

‘Be Strong & Committed’ - van Nistelrooy On The Task In Hand

There’s only one aim on the agenda for Ruud van Nistelrooy ahead of facing Tottenham Hotspur and that’s to pick up a positive result in the capital.

Sam Jones

2025-01-26T07:00+00:00

Travelling to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for Sunday’s 2pm GMT kick-off, neither side are enjoying a good run of form, but the message from the Manager remains clear as he seeks to reverse our fortunes.

‘Roll up your sleeves’

Pre-match thoughts from van Nistelrooy in his press conference.

Discussing the difficulty of lifting the players’ mentality after losing seven straight league fixtures, van Nistelrooy spoke of his confidence in the squad and the quest to break the current trend of results, by continuing to work hard and show the same character on the pitch.

“It’s clear that I believe in these players,” he stated during Friday’s pre-match briefing with the media. “The relationship with players and the manager and coaches is one of development, of improvement, of praise.

“On a daily basis I’m with the players, I’m working with everybody involved at Leicester to get the best out of this squad. It’s great to work with these players to improve. We analyse the games and things that are done well are addressed and things that can improve are addressed.

“We then move onto the next and show character by preparing in training, being ready to perform to your very best in games and that is the process of being a footballer and being in this job. That’s what it is about.

“We are aligned with that. We are a unit; we’re united as a squad and staff. There is very good communication there and we are very motivated to change this situation around and this is the only way to get out of a difficult situation, as you all know.

“When you are in adversity, it’s about unity, it’s about hard work, it’s about dedication and rolling up your sleeves, keep believing and staying together. That’s where we are at the moment and this squad is aware of that and doing that.”

‘A tough opponent’

The Australian applauds the travelling Spurs support in Germany on Thursday.

Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs have themselves endured a testing period of late, losing five of the last six, with a home draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers the only point to show for their efforts during that run. They did, however, taste success in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday evening and carry significant attacking threats in their ranks, despite several injury concerns.

“Every game is a game on its own and that’s the approach,” van Nistelrooy continued. “It starts at 0-0, a clean slate and everything is open. That history of games doesn’t say a lot to me. For us, we know what we’re in, but Sunday is a new game and a new chance to perform and show what we can do and that’s the focus.

“We prepare every game to try and win it and to get a result. That doesn’t change. You look at the players available for yourself and the opponent and you make a game plan to get the maximum out of it.

“We know Tottenham played yesterday and had a good win against Hoffenheim. They had a very good first half and were 2-0 up. We see the key players like [Heung-min] Son, [James] Maddison, Richarlison and [Dejan] Kulusevski are back.

“Their scoring record is very good and their way of playing. At home, it’s a tough opponent to face and we’ll do everything possible to prepare ourselves and get a result over there.”

‘Fight ourselves through’

Following two defeats on home soil, we're back on the road this weekend.

Within touching distance of safety, just two points away from 17th-place Wolves as things stand ahead of the weekend’s fixtures, there is still time to turn the season around, although the 48-year-old accepted the need to be better at both ends of the pitch in order to do so.

The former PSV manager added: “We know where we are in the table and we know the league. In the remaining games, it’s about getting out of this situation. I’m confident that we can. I’m focused on getting this team out and that’s my only concern.

“At the end of May, that’s where we need to be. That’s the vital part. Fighting ourselves through this period is the main thing and realising that we’re going through a really rough spell.

“Great things can occur from being in difficult times. You have to keep going and it’s a part of our jobs. In tough times, you need to be strong and persistent and feel that we are committed as a group. Everybody is on board.

“You can also see that on the pitch. When you lose, you can still see a team with spirit and fight. If we continue that, this run will end. It’s about looking ahead and doing better by getting good results with good performances.

“We believe we can score more goals from the chances that we create and concede less. I believe this team is capable of doing that. Our responsibility is to keep working and our performances can ignite the belief in the supporters.

“I can only hope for that because we all know what support can do to players on the pitch. The 12th man effect can happen and the players are supported while they are giving it their all when you can feel the entire club is united. It’s also up to us.”

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