‘We’re In A Battle’ – Van Nistelrooy Assesses Man City Challenge

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‘We’re In A Battle’ – Van Nistelrooy Assesses Man City Challenge

Ruud van Nistelrooy says Leicester City are up for the fight as our Premier League campaign resumes at a critical juncture in the season.

2025-04-02T07:00+01:00

by Sam Jones

Published

02 Apr, 2025

‘We’re In A Battle’ – Van Nistelrooy Assesses Man City Challenge

Ruud van Nistelrooy says Leicester City are up for the fight as our Premier League campaign resumes at a critical juncture in the season.

Sam Jones

2025-04-02T07:00+01:00

‘We’re In A Battle’ – Van Nistelrooy Assesses Man City Challenge

Ruud van Nistelrooy says Leicester City are up for the fight as our Premier League campaign resumes at a critical juncture in the season.

Sam Jones

2025-04-02T07:00+01:00

‘We’re In A Battle’ – Van Nistelrooy Assesses Man City Challenge

Ruud van Nistelrooy says Leicester City are up for the fight as our Premier League campaign resumes at a critical juncture in the season.

Sam Jones

2025-04-02T07:00+01:00

‘We’re In A Battle’ – Van Nistelrooy Assesses Man City Challenge

Ruud van Nistelrooy says Leicester City are up for the fight as our Premier League campaign resumes at a critical juncture in the season.

Sam Jones

2025-04-02T07:00+01:00

We head to Manchester City on Wednesday, the first of nine matches in the final run-in, knowing that positive results are swiftly required.

Ahead of the trip to Etihad Stadium (7:45pm BST kick-off), van Nistelrooy addressed the media from LCFC Training Ground to provide insight into his pre-match plans and thoughts before travelling to the North West…

‘Perform every second’

At work in Seagrave.

Sensing that the attitude and character within the group remains as strong as ever heading into the next four games, van Nistelrooy also acknowledged how results have simply not been good enough prior to the international break and that there is now little margin for error.

“There’s always time for reflection and this period was an extra-long time,” he explained. “Of course, we know we have one target and to perform every second that we’re in this league, whatever the circumstances are and whatever the situation in the table is.

“That is what we were doing and what we will continue doing, that won’t change. We have a great run of games and it’s a privilege to be able to plan games against Man City, Newcastle, Brighton and Liverpool – four of the coming games.

“For us, we know we’re in a battle but we have a squad and the players are doing everything that they can to be the best that they can be, together with me and the staff. And will continue to do so.

“It’s a great challenge we’re faced with, we’re trying to do the best we can and start Wednesday. We’re desperate to pick up points but it’s showed that it’s tough for us to win games, to draw games.

There’s few results that we’ve picked up, and Ipswich and Southampton are in a similar position where you have to deal with many disappointments.

“The appetite is there to perform and show ourselves in the best possible way, because the way we are training, we are doing everything we can to get the maximum out of our squad. I see it, it’s intense, it’s sharp.

“Looking at results, when you lose, you’re bad, when you win, you’re great. I don’t see it like that. Of course, we have to do better sometimes and we have to produce that again on Wednesday.”

‘A dominant force’

Celebrating victory at Vitality Stadium.

Analysing the opposition and the occasion awaiting his side, van Nistelrooy believes it is one to be excited for, despite the trepidation of facing such illustrious opponents, given their recent trophy-laden history.

The Citizens remain in contention for another domestic prize this term, too, progressing into the last four of the Emirates FA Cup at the weekend.

The 48-year-old continued: “When you’re a player and you play Manchester City away, you can imagine what the feeling is. Everybody is looking forward to these games. When you aren’t, something is wrong with you.

When expectations are that high, and they deserve that as well because of their results in the last eight years, and they don’t meet those sky-high expectations, in modern-day football it’s all bad.

“But they’re the four-time Premier League winners in a row, they’re in the semi-finals of the FA Cup again, they go to Wembley, can make another final and win a trophy, they are battling to reach Champions League football and are there to do so.

“But most of all, they’ve been a dominant force in England and Europe for many years now with Pep [Guardiola]. I now see a team that is in a rebuild for the better with new signings in January. You know it’s always going to be quality when he’s at the wheel.

“Teams go in waves, players go and new players come and they are in that phase now. You can see that development.”

‘A great challenge’

Different personnel have come into the XI.

A switch in the system, moving to a back five, yielded some positive developments both on the pitch and the training field in recent weeks, with the break from competitive action allowing extra time to work on certain aspects of the shape of the team.

“From the Man Utd game, there were enough good signs to continue with that and give it more time,” the Dutchman revealed. “A formation change is not something you are going to flip around week after week, you have to let players get used to it as well.

“There’s new roles and different players - Patson Daka, Luke Thomas, Conor Coady. They’ve had an opportunity in this formation and we will continue to build on this. We have to do better in moments in the game, like against United.

“The first two goals were incidents where we could have done better but overall we created more chances, we should have scored one or two goals, and also against Chelsea. We’ve invested time on the training pitch to develop the shape – both defensively and offensively – in the different phases of the game.

“From low build up to the final third and in defending from high pressing to box defending, we had time to train all those phases and also the physical part. That flows into the tactical and technical sessions.

“We all planned that well and it worked well. Physically, we were able to recover and put extra work in with many players still here. We had good weeks and it’s a great challenge to do so on Wednesday.”

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