Van Nistelrooy Emphasises Need For Points As Leicester City Struggles In Premier League

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Ruud van Nistelrooy emphasised that Leicester City must secure points to ensure their Premier League survival, despite recent strong performances yielding no results. After a 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Wednesday, Leicester are two points away from safety, having played 21 games this season. The Foxes have suffered six consecutive Premier League losses, their longest streak since September 2022.

Van Nistelrooy has managed eight Premier League matches with Leicester since replacing Steve Cooper, losing six of them. This surpasses his loss record at PSV in the 2022-23 Eredivisie season, where he won 23 games, drew six, and lost five. "We've talked about it for a while now. It's a matter of getting those good performances into points and that's the target because we know where we are in the league," he stated.

To boost their chances of avoiding relegation, Leicester signed defender Woyo Coulibaly from Parma as their first acquisition in the January transfer window. Van Nistelrooy mentioned that Coulibaly might play against Fulham this weekend. "Today he wasn't able to train yet with the team because we are finalising the paperwork," Van Nistelrooy explained.

The manager is also focused on strengthening the squad further during this transfer period. "We have to assess him, and it's one training session before the game. We'll see if we can get him involved in the game on Saturday," he added. The club is exploring both permanent and loan options to enhance their lineup.

Leicester's current situation is challenging but not hopeless. Van Nistelrooy acknowledged that several teams are close together in standings, which keeps survival possible. "We know only points can get us out of the situation. We desperately want to be out of that situation by the end of May," he remarked.

The team is determined to improve its standing by accumulating points quickly. "We know that every game that we don't collect, that's one game gone, and it makes it more difficult," Van Nistelrooy noted. He expressed frustration over good performances not translating into results.

Injuries have also impacted Leicester's defence, prompting the need for additional signings like Coulibaly due to Ricardo's injury. "Hopefully, we can add some more," Van Nistelrooy said regarding potential new recruits.

Leicester City faces a critical period as they aim to climb out of relegation danger in the Premier League standings by securing crucial points in upcoming matches.