WHAT OCCURRED?
Steve Cooper, who was fired, was replaced on Thursday by Van Nistelrooy, who was tasked with keeping the Foxes in the Premier League. Cooper did little to win over the Leicester supporters because Enzo Maresca’s absence was not filled by his defensive approach, affiliation with Nottingham Forest, or inconsistent performance.
VAN NISTELROOY’S COMMENTS
“I have to admit, when the interest came, the first one I called was Enzo,” Van Nistelrooy stated in an interview with Leicester’s official website. He was really upbeat about it. He had a great time. You want to join the group when you hear these things. Naturally, when he showed interest, I called him and asked him more specific questions about the team, the stadium, the fans, the town, the surrounding area, the club, the structures, the staff, and the squad. It was an amazing chat. I always enjoy speaking with him.
THE LARGER IMAGE
With their outstanding forward style, Maresca’s Leicester, the Championship winners, attracted Chelsea’s attention to the point where they thought the Italian was the ideal candidate to succeed departing Mauricio Pochettino. Maresca has the team in fourth place and has enjoyed a better start to his tenure in the Blues’ dugout than several of his recent predecessors. Leicester is in 16th place and only one point above the drop zone at the opposite end of the table.
VAN NISTELROOY’S FUTURE?
For the first time since he watched Manchester United destroy his new team 3-0, Van Nistelrooy is back in Premier League play.The Dutchman’s successful interim spell in charge of the Red Devils helped swing him the job at the Foxes and he travels to the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday afternoon to take on Brentford.
