‘It’s Up To Us’ - Van Nistelrooy Outlines Fulham Plan

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‘It’s Up To Us’ - Van Nistelrooy Outlines Fulham Plan

Ruud van Nistelrooy laid down his message ahead of our clash with Fulham, as the quest for Premier League points continues this weekend.

2025-01-18T07:00+00:00

by Sam Jones

Published

18 Jan, 2025

‘It’s Up To Us’ - Van Nistelrooy Outlines Fulham Plan

Ruud van Nistelrooy laid down his message ahead of our clash with Fulham, as the quest for Premier League points continues this weekend.

Sam Jones

2025-01-18T07:00+00:00

‘It’s Up To Us’ - Van Nistelrooy Outlines Fulham Plan

Ruud van Nistelrooy laid down his message ahead of our clash with Fulham, as the quest for Premier League points continues this weekend.

Sam Jones

2025-01-18T07:00+00:00

‘It’s Up To Us’ - Van Nistelrooy Outlines Fulham Plan

Ruud van Nistelrooy laid down his message ahead of our clash with Fulham, as the quest for Premier League points continues this weekend.

Sam Jones

2025-01-18T07:00+00:00

‘It’s Up To Us’ - Van Nistelrooy Outlines Fulham Plan

Ruud van Nistelrooy laid down his message ahead of our clash with Fulham, as the quest for Premier League points continues this weekend.

Sam Jones

2025-01-18T07:00+00:00

We sit 19th in the standings prior to the west London club visiting King Power Stadium on Saturday (3pm GMT kick-off), with Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace a result the Dutchman is naturally keen to react to.

In Thursday’s pre-match press conference with the assembled media, van Nistelrooy discussed using the midweek disappointment as fuel to bring home Leicester City's first league success of 2025, as well as the ongoing work to create a winning mentality.

‘Turning performances into results’

A new arrival checking in.

A set-back in our aim of climbing out of the bottom three, it was not a lack of chances that cost his side from taking any points against the Eagles. Also keen to halt the current trend of conceding goals, with only Wolverhampton Wanderers and Southampton letting in more so far this term, the addition of Woyo Coulibaly is sure to help with that, the 48-year-old believes.

“The number of chances we’ve created has been okay and it’s only a matter of time before we score some goals,” he assured. “Conceding is a worry and that is a theme. With Coulibaly, it helps our defensive strengths to be able to rotate more. He’s one that we think can help the team and grow a lot in his development.

“It’s about his qualities. He’s a strong, powerful player, very good in a one vs. one, can play as a low right-back, can play high and there’s flexibility there for our build-up. He’s an intelligent player and knows how we want to play and I think it’s a good match.

“He’s a good character and at an age where he’s at the start of his prime so we have high hopes for him to do well for us and it’s up to us to support him and make him feel at home and welcome immediately.

“We’ve talked about it for a while now. It’s about turning those good performances into results. We know where we are in the league. We desperately want to be out of the situation by May and every game that we’re not collecting points is one game gone.

“It makes it more difficult. There’s three or four teams very close together and they are also dropping points. It makes the situation still possible but it’s up to us to make it possible. Performances must be built on, but we’re all fed up with that and want points.

“The belief is there that this squad has enough to stay up but, as a promoted side, you know you are battling to stay up against the other promoted sides. That’s an extremely big challenge.

“I have to say that, from the first day I joined, I spoke about it going right to the last day, this battle. Of course, you have hopes that you could surprise and get more results to get us out of the situation before, but in that sense, it is disappointing that it didn’t happen.

“There’s an amount of patience required and, between me and the team and the Club, there is belief that on this path we will turn good performances into points and that’s what we’re working on and what we believe in.

“This one (Palace) hurt but you get up and you want to go and come here and work with the players and talk with them and analyse what we can do better and shake it off as soon as possible. In less than two days, we’re on the pitch again and that is great.

“The disappointment after the game is one we all shared. The dressing room was the same. We all felt this was a game we were looking out for to prove that we could get results.

“Especially after the six goals in the cup, the first half we played and the chances we created, we felt we could be on top with one or maybe two goals and we didn’t do it. The second half turned against us and they scored twice. That was Wednesday and now it’s full focus on Fulham for Saturday.”

‘Hard work and togetherness’

Not the outcome we wanted against Palace.

Van Nistelrooy wants everyone to stand up and be counted in this period of adversity, tackling the upcoming fixtures head on and maintaining the same belief in the plan and their own talents.

“It’s what we’re here for,” the former PSV manager explained. “We want to show what we’re about and I want to show what I’m about when things don’t go your way. Let’s be tough and prove and show the same passion, commitment, spirit and belief that we can do it again.

“The biggest respect you can give your players as a manager is brutal honesty to make the players better. It’s never wrong to address it and that’s the mutual feeling that I have with the squad.

“I see everyone on board, being there for the team and that gives me great belief that we can achieve it. Every game, we plan to go out and win it. It’s important to keep giving signals that we have the right spirit and fight until the end. It’s up to us to get that spirit lifted from the crowd.

“As players, when you’re in a tough moment and you’re coming in the next day, you want to see how the Manager reacts. When you see it’s there, you also feel stronger that you will join him in the path to success and turn it around.

“We can only do that with extreme hard work and togetherness and I think we’re capable of showing it on Saturday.”

‘Compete against them’

The Portuguese manager continues to work his magic at Craven Cottage.

Marco Silva’s side are well positioned inside the top half of the table and a midweek defeat to West Ham United was their first in 10 games across all competitions. Whoever the opponent is, however, van Nistelrooy knows that the job remains the same.

“It’s a very well organised and well managed team, in and out of possession,” City’s Manager analysed. “They have very good profiles in all positions. They have made the most crosses in the league with the full-backs and players in the middle of the park who can play.

“They are high in the league and it’s a fantastic challenge for us to compete against them, but every game has the pressure to perform, whether you’re up in the league or down. You have to win and collect points in this league. Every team is doing their utmost to do so.

“In that sense, there’s no pressure adding up, it’s the same pressure, which is big, to win games. It just shifts to the next game because you don’t play all 38. Every game you perform, you evaluate and it’s the next one.

“It’s a cycle we’re used to and that’s what we prepare ourselves for. Patience is required but there is no time. With the remaining games and how close the five games are together; we have to start collecting points.”

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