Ruud van Nistelrooy to Leicester City: Tactics compared to Enzo Maresca, what players have said

Former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy is the latest name to emerge in connection with the soon-to-be-vacant Leicester City hotseat.

The Dutchman has been out of work since leaving PSV Eindhoven a year ago but is said to be under consideration for City as they look to find a suitable successor for Chelsea-bound Enzo Maresca. Van Nistelrooy is at short odds to be named his successor.

Most know him best as the supreme goal-getter who led the line at Old Trafford for five years, and so may not be aware of his record in the dugout. Here, we run down his managerial credentials, his tactics, what players have said about him, and more.

Like Maresca, Van Nistelrooy spent much of the first few years of his coaching career as an assistant or in youth football, working at PSV or with his national team. His first big test was as head coach of Jong PSV, the reserve side to the Dutch giants, who play in the second division in the Netherlands.

Under Van Nistelrooy’s guidance, they finished 12th of 20 in the 2021-22 season. But working with a squad whose average age was under 20, Van Nistelrooy impressed the hierarchy enough to be selected to take the senior job at PSV from 2022 onwards.

In his first season in charge, Van Nistelrooy’s PSV finished second in Eredivisie to new Liverpool manager Arne Slot and his Feyenoord side, but they did go on to win the Dutch Cup, beating Ajax on penalties in the final. They also had the best attack in the league.

A week before the end of the campaign, Van Nistelrooy stepped down. In a statement put out by PSV, it was said that the former striker believed “there was not enough support within the club to continue longer”.

Van Nistelrooy has a good record of bringing through youth players as well. When Noni Madueke was sold to Chelsea, he gave Johan Bakayoko, a player he’d worked with for Jong PSV, a more prominent on the right flank, and the Belgian has gone from strength to strength since, and could be a player to watch at the Euros this summer.

How do his teams play?

PSV predominantly played in a 4-2-3-1 shape under Van Nistelrooy, but what is most interesting is that, in attack, that shape changed to a 3-2-4-1, which was how City lined up under Maresca. But that had to be adapted midway through the season.

In the first half of the campaign, a full-back would tuck inside, as happens with Ricardo Pereira at City. But when first-choice wingers Cody Gakpo and Madueke were sold to Liverpool and Chelsea in January 2023, Van Nistelrooy tinkered.

He then opted to play Xavi Simons on the left wing out of possession, but as an attacking midfielder in possession. The left-back, most regularly former City loanee Patrick van Aanholt, would then move forward to become a left-sided winger. The right-back would tuck in to form a back three.

Both with Jong PSV in 21-22 and PSV in 22-23, Van Nistelrooy’s teams ranked fourth in their leagues for possession. There was an element of aggressive defending with plenty of tackles and interceptions won by PSV, especially given their average possession, but not a lot of those were in the attacking third, and were more likely to come in the centre of the park.

What have his players said about him?

Before Jarrad Branthwaite was impressing for Everton and earning call-ups to the England squad, he was on loan at Van Nistelrooy’s PSV. As an excellent striker, Van Nistelrooy knows how to make defenders better too.

Branthwaite said: “As a striker Ruud knew what defenders didn’t like so he was always giving me little tips, about body positions and how to defend against different kinds of strikers, which helped me massively. The whole experience matured me as a player, as a man as well and I came back a much better player than I had been 12 months previously.”

Of course, he can coach finishing too, having scored 349 goals in 592 club matches across his career. Madueke said shortly after joining Chelsea: “Ruud van Nistelrooy helped me out a lot, obviously in front of goal.

“He’s a great player and a great coach as well and a great person. If you went and spoke to him right now, you would not feel like you’re speaking to the legend Ruud van Nistelrooy, you’d just feel like you’re speaking to Ruud the man.”

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