‘Performance Is The Focus’ - van Nistelrooy’s Pre-Brighton Comments

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‘Performance Is The Focus’ - van Nistelrooy’s Pre-Brighton Comments

Ruud van Nistelrooy says Leicester City have a solid foundation to build on as they work towards facing Brighton & Hove Albion at King Power Stadium.

2024-12-08T09:00+00:00

by Sam Jones

Published

08 Dec, 2024

from LCFC Training Ground

‘Performance Is The Focus’ - van Nistelrooy’s Pre-Brighton Comments

Ruud van Nistelrooy says Leicester City have a solid foundation to build on as they work towards facing Brighton & Hove Albion at King Power Stadium.

Sam Jones

2024-12-08T09:00+00:00

‘Performance Is The Focus’ - van Nistelrooy’s Pre-Brighton Comments

Ruud van Nistelrooy says Leicester City have a solid foundation to build on as they work towards facing Brighton & Hove Albion at King Power Stadium.

Sam Jones

2024-12-08T09:00+00:00

‘Performance Is The Focus’ - van Nistelrooy’s Pre-Brighton Comments

Ruud van Nistelrooy says Leicester City have a solid foundation to build on as they work towards facing Brighton & Hove Albion at King Power Stadium.

Sam Jones

2024-12-08T09:00+00:00

‘Performance Is The Focus’ - van Nistelrooy’s Pre-Brighton Comments

Ruud van Nistelrooy says Leicester City have a solid foundation to build on as they work towards facing Brighton & Hove Albion at King Power Stadium.

Sam Jones

2024-12-08T09:00+00:00

Coming away with three points in his first game in charge, the 3-1 victory over West Ham United has propelled Leicester onto a stronger footing heading into the festive period.

Another tough encounter awaits on Sunday, however, with the next challenge pitting the Foxes against a Brighton side sitting fifth in the Premier League.

‘They fought for each other’

A big result on Tuesday to begin his tenure.

Scoring three times at home for the first time in the league this season, the off the ball work against West Ham impressed van Nistelrooy just as much, with the Dutchman keen to replicate that level of fight and graft when the Seagulls make the trip to Filbert Way, acknowledging the need for everyone to play their part.

“Straight away after the game I mentioned in the post-match interview that the result is one, scoring goals is two and being very effective is three,” he reflected. “We all saw how the game went. The number of attempts from West Ham stands out.

“That was spoken about and rightly so. It’s a matter of analysing it really well, knowing that we have to be in better shape and keep players out of our box. That’s been in our work this week.

“There’s attempts and then there’s chances. It was 30 attempts, not chances and we looked at them and some of them are absolutely not chances. The XG was three for West Ham, which is a lot. It’s not a blocked shot from a difficult angle, it’s when we get open and in what moments those big chances are occurring.

“The aspect of the performance the team put in that I was most happy with was that you saw fire and desire in every player. That was in the mindset and focus but also the physicality in the game and how much they fought for each other and also the subs who came on had an impact.

“The squad is key. The Premier League is so intense and tough that we need all the players and everybody involved is ready to help. The mindset is there with a busy schedule coming up as well, starting or coming off the bench to help the team. I like this about the squad.”

‘They are impressive’

One of Welbeck's six Premier League goals already this term.

Brighton may have been beaten 3-1 by Fulham on Thursday but Fabian Hürzeler’s side look to be a very strong unit this season and while City enjoyed the longer recovery time ahead of this match-up, there’s threats all over the pitch from the South Coast club, with veteran striker Danny Welbeck one of those identified in the build-up.

“In the end, theoretically there is a physical advantage,” van Nistelrooy admitted. “But with the current Premier League squads and Brighton being one of the top clubs, they have such wide squads with lots of numbers. They have possibilities to rest players and still field the same quality of player.

“It’s clear how they are performing, with where they are in the league and how many points they already have. The way that they are playing is impressive. They’ve been getting some excellent results against big clubs.

“The new manager has settled in and got off to a flying start. It’s been a fantastic performance from the club, the squad, the management and coaching squad.

“He (Welbeck) is clever and the experience that he brings, he’s a very intelligent player. He’s calm and composed with his finishes in the box. He is very complete with his hold up play and his runs off the ball. He’s strong and a player with strong movement in the area with crosses. He’s one to look at.”

‘A good result would be massive’

Watching on in training.

Van Nistelrooy also outlined how they have worked on several aspects of the defensive game, tightening up in certain areas to try and thwart Brighton’s clear attacking talents, while carrying a threat themselves.

“For the most part, I see it we are in a better shape,” the former PSV manager added. “The 4-4-2 shape is our defensive position but it’s about coordinating instead of following the man. Some players have to make some adjustments and this week was a good week to work on it, so hopefully we can improve on that on Sunday.

“That’s our foundation moving forward. This week we started some little changes, not too quick but some which are picked up quite well. We trained on it more this week and on top of that, creating a footballing vision for the squad that we are working together on. That improvement can make a team better.

“It’s about preparing and performing on a daily basis and of course we know the programme and what is coming and what awaits us on Sunday. To be at your best, we’re thinking about Sunday and taking each game at a time. We’re playing some big, good teams in a short term.”

“Getting results is the main thing, also style of play. We spoke about the ideal style but the approach of winning every game is the most important thing. What does Sunday need for us to win the game? It starts with that performance again, that’s the focus.

“Performances and investing in that fight and spirit and from there we look to improve certain bits already after one training session, that’s my goal. If you focus on that, it gives you the best chance of a good result and makes the place better, so that’s my focus. A good result would be most welcome and massive.”

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