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“Leicester City on the Brink of Relegation – Van Nistelrooy Must Fix This Major Issue or It’s Game Over
Leicester City are on the brink of relegation this season, and there’s a clear issue that Ruud van Nistelrooy must address if they’re to avoid that fate.
With 24 games into the 2024/25 Premier League season, Leicester City’s situation looks grim. The Foxes have secured only four wins, earning a meager 17 points.
Ahead of their upcoming match against Arsenal, Leicester finds itself in 18th place in the Premier League table, in a three-way struggle with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Ipswich Town to escape relegation.
To avoid returning to the Championship, van Nistelrooy needs to address a problem that also troubled Steve Cooper during his time at King Power Stadium.
Leicester’s Persistent Weakness Under Ruud van Nistelrooy
Cooper’s tenure at Leicester was far from successful, with just two Premier League wins. One of the most glaring issues was James Justin’s performance, which has continued to be a major weakness for the team under van Nistelrooy.
Leicester fans have frequently criticized Justin this season, and his struggles were once again evident during the 2-1 loss to Manchester United on Friday night.
Earlier in the season, Justin was a liability in a 5-2 defeat to Manchester United in the Carabao Cup, with many of United’s goals coming due to his poor defending and decision-making. This was again highlighted when Justin struggled against the same player in the FA Cup.
Although Leicester held their own in the first half, once Alejandro Garnacho came on, Justin was easily outpaced and exposed, much like during Cooper’s tenure.
Van Nistelrooy’s Solution to the James Justin Issue
In Cooper’s defense, there wasn’t much he could do, as the only backup to Justin was central midfielder Hamza Choudhury. However, Leicester’s January transfer window saw the arrival of Woyo Coulibaly, a natural right-back.
Strangely, when Coulibaly was introduced against Manchester United, he replaced Luke Thomas, who was performing decently at left-back. Given Justin’s continued struggles, it’s clear that van Nistelrooy must make the change, starting Coulibaly at right-back in place of Justin.
With relegation still a very real possibility, van Nistelrooy can no longer afford to keep relying on Justin, as his repeated poor performances could cost Leicester their Premier League status.
