Van Nistelrooy: We Require More

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Van Nistelrooy: We Require More

Ruud van Nistelrooy has expressed the need to remain positive in the face of adversity as we go in search of a much-needed victory at West Ham United.

2025-02-27T07:00+00:00

by Sam Jones

Published

27 Feb, 2025

Van Nistelrooy: We Require More

Ruud van Nistelrooy has expressed the need to remain positive in the face of adversity as we go in search of a much-needed victory at West Ham United.

Sam Jones

2025-02-27T07:00+00:00

Van Nistelrooy: We Require More

Ruud van Nistelrooy has expressed the need to remain positive in the face of adversity as we go in search of a much-needed victory at West Ham United.

Sam Jones

2025-02-27T07:00+00:00

Van Nistelrooy: We Require More

Ruud van Nistelrooy has expressed the need to remain positive in the face of adversity as we go in search of a much-needed victory at West Ham United.

Sam Jones

2025-02-27T07:00+00:00

Van Nistelrooy: We Require More

Ruud van Nistelrooy has expressed the need to remain positive in the face of adversity as we go in search of a much-needed victory at West Ham United.

Sam Jones

2025-02-27T07:00+00:00

The Foxes, without a goal in three in the Premier League, head to London Stadium on Thursday evening for a meeting with Graham Potter’s side, aiming to break the cycle of current results, having lost out to Everton, Arsenal and Brentford in recent weeks.

Speaking to the media in the build-up to the capital clash with the Hammers, an 8pm GMT kick-off, van Nistelrooy provided his thoughts on what he expects to see from his side as they look to bounce back from the disappointment of last Friday’s loss to the Bees...

‘Looking at positives’

Addressing the media this week.

There is confidence within the group that a fifth win of the league season is just around the corner, but areas of improvement must be targeted, he says, to make that a reality.

“The mood is lifted,” the 48-year-old revealed from LCFC Training Ground on Tuesday. “We started again in a new week, on to a new challenge, reacting after a bad result. We could say it was a bad performance; it is important we’ve done that before and the players reacted really well and started the week really well.

“We’re looking at positives and we’re looking to turn performances into points. We did that before and we’re looking to react again after a big disappointment, not only for the players but everyone in the Club and the supporters.

“We expected a lot more from ourselves and we’re better than we showed. The consistency within games - if you’re 1-0 down or 2-0 down, hold on and stay in the game and give yourselves a chance and, in this (Brentford) game, unfortunately we couldn’t and it was too much at half-time.”

‘Keep working’

Out on the grass in Seagrave.

Embroiled in the relegation battle earlier in the campaign, West Ham have managed to pull themselves clear of danger, claiming victory over Arsenal at Emirates Stadium last time out to move onto 30 points. As for Leicester, it’s a case of putting poor performances to one side and concentrating on the more encouraging aspects.

The former PSV manager commented: “It’s going to be difficult; we know that every game we’re playing is difficult. Everything needs to be right for us to get results. We know how hard it is to get results in the Premier League.

“We managed to get some results where everything worked and we had a bit of luck. We changed the momentum and stayed in games for long periods. Those moments are something we cling on to. We feel like we can do it.

“There were some performances that deserved more and some poor performances where we didn’t. It’s a mixture and it’s consistency, as we said before, both in games and in a sequence of games. We can only keep working, keep believing and start again.

“To go through all the challenges that I’ve faced and answer that it’s a mountain to climb... life is about climbing and mountains are there to be climbed. That challenge is one that I take.

“On this process, together with the team and everyone involved, we’ll keep fighting. We slip sometimes, but we get up and start again. It’s clear that we have to be resilient, we have to be strong, because when you’re in a situation like this you have to digest disappointment on a regular basis.

“You have to be able to show your character and reflect and learn and improve. We know that the performance against Brentford wasn’t good enough, but we have had more performances like that and this team reacted. I expect them to do this also on Thursday.”

‘It’s a challenge’

Looking to put the Brentford reverse behind us.

Looking to arrest worrying trends at both ends, with only Southampton conceding more in the league so far this term and only the Saints and Ipswich Town scoring fewer goals, the Dutchman is putting work into the mental side of the game, in order to help influence what happens on the pitch.

“It’s an ongoing process, the conceding of goals,” he expressed. “It’s not something we just look at now. We haven’t been able to get a clean sheet in all the games since I arrived. There’s only been one all season. That’s where a lot of attention goes to on the training pitch.

“At the other end of the box, we need to score and take our chances to also help the backline and the defensive performance to give you some space to read. If you have difficulty scoring, the pressure on conceding is big.

“We have a squad which has stayed intact in the window. [Woyo] Coulibaly came to strengthen us, but other than that, it’s the same players. There’s only one way to do it, on the training pitch, in the video analysis, in conversations with players and that’s the only way you can influence and make things better.

“We’re working hard for this [win] and we know when we don’t perform to our standards, we own it and we acknowledge it and the effort that the players are putting in during a difficult moment, we all experience that.

“There’s a lot of things going on. They’re all situations that are an extra challenge for the team. I can only hope for them that they get the feeling of a win because they deserve it. I’m focused on the controllables, the daily work and the planning to get the players prepared for games.

“Mentally it’s tough when you really want results and they are not there, they aren’t arriving yet. That‘s what I’m focused on and keeping the spirits lifted and the players react to that. We’ll be back to go again on Thursday but it’s a challenge, that’s clear.”

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