Ruud van Nistelrooy refused to get carried away with his debut victory as Leicester City manager, the Dutchman quick to point out “the fact” of West Ham’s dominance.
Van Nistelrooy kicked off his reign with three points and three goals, moving City clear of the drop zone and ending a run of six games without victory. However, they had to ride their luck, with West Ham scoring just once from 31 attempts.
The manager said: “I’m very happy. If you look at the result, and it’s about the results, it was a great night. Three points, three goals, and three good goals I think. I was very happy with that.
“Overall, we all saw the game and how dominant West Ham were at certain stages and how much they created and the attempts they had. That was a fact. It’s something of course we have to look at and do better.
“But it’s the third day working at the club, so it’s been very busy getting to know everyone, working together with the current staff. We have started working together and everybody was helping.
“They were long days, but they were worth it. You’re focused on the moment. I’m going to get myself a little beer and reflect on the past few days.”
While Van Nistelrooy saw plenty of the characteristics he wanted from his team, he admitted the defensive structure and pressing were not quite right, leading to West Ham’s chances. Three days is not long enough to work out those kinks.
“Overall what I said before the game, what I expected of the players moving forward, was togetherness, hunger, energy, spirit, a team that is fighting for every inch. That’s a foundation to play the rest of the Premier League.
“I saw that completely with every player who started and every player that came on. That’s the foundation. Without that, it will be impossible to get where we want. I’m very happy with that.
“The defensive shape is important and getting pressure on opponents. The timing of the press is quite difficult and it needs time and co-ordination to get that right.
“We did that a couple of times where we got dangerous on the break, when we won the duels and played forward. But many times we missed a moment to press and that’s why we got pushed back too far and let them in our box quite often.”
Leicester City Manager Ruud van Nistelrooy celebrates after Bilal El Khannouss scores to make it 2-0
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