Ninety-eight seconds. That was all it took for Ruud van Nistelrooy’s reign at Leicester City to kick off. Jamie Vardy’s early goal provided a glimpse of Leicester under Van Nistelrooy’s influence. Victor Kristiansen, hugging the left touchline, squared the ball to Bilal El Khannouss, who set up Leicester’s No 9, head down, ready to pounce in the left channel. Vardy, sporting bright pink boots, executed a classic right-foot finish into the far corner. After a VAR check, he celebrated, making his way towards the away fans who had been jeering him. Even before Patson Daka sealed the 3-0 victory with a late goal, those same fans turned their attention to their manager, chanting, “You’re getting sacked in the morning.” Julen Lopetegui, looking grim at the final whistle, faces an uphill battle to survive this crushing defeat. Lopetegui ran his hand through his hair, his mind racing under pressure. Welcome back to the harsh reality of top-tier management, Ruud.

Van Nistelrooy is back in the game, as he puts it, on this relentless treadmill. For most of the match, he stood on the edge of the home technical area, quietly observing, rarely straying more than a few feet from Lopetegui, though the two could hardly be in more different situations. One is optimistic about reigniting his coaching career from the dugout, while the other clings to his job after another damaging loss. West Ham have been exploring potential successors in case they decide to hit the reset button. Van Nistelrooy might have even sniffed at the job had he still been unemployed. During his interim stint at Manchester United, after the draw against Chelsea at Old Trafford last month, the Dutchman quizzed Enzo Maresca, who led Leicester to the Championship title last season, about the club’s health and structure, with a view to replacing Steve Cooper.

Now Van Nistelrooy is Leicester’s king. He applauded all four sides of the ground just before kick-off, and sections of the home support were chanting his name within 10 minutes, moments after Lukasz Fabianski deflected another Vardy effort, from another Kristiansen pass, into the side netting. In some ways, Leicester have returned to their old ways. Van Nistelrooy’s side generally played a 4-4-2 formation out of possession, with Facundo Buonanotte partnering Vardy in front of two banks of four, and with the ball, they shifted to a 3-4-3, featuring a box in midfield. “It is something that was very well developed here when Enzo came in; obviously in the Championship, the team was a lot more dominant,” Van Nistelrooy said. “I saw that as an advantage coming here.”

The scoreline flattered Leicester, who could feasibly have trailed 6-1 at half-time. They may have changed managers, but Mads Hermansen has been a constant since arriving from Brøndby last year, the goalkeeper proving an inspired signing; only Mark Flekken has made more saves in the top flight this season. Hermansen made two superb stops from Jarrod Bowen in the first half and tipped an awkward, looping Mohammed Kudus effort over the bar early in the second. Danny Ings hit the post with a header, while Carlos Soler and Tomas Soucek came close. Two minutes before El Khannouss gave Leicester some breathing space, Hermansen was fortunate that a bump from Soucek was enough for the officials to award a foul and not a West Ham goal.

Just as well, then, Van Nistelrooy had focused on defensive unit work in his first training session with his entire squad 24 hours earlier. West Ham ended with 31 shots, 10 on target. Conor Coady prevented Crysencio Summerville from pulling a goal back, clearing the ball on the line with his big toe. “Taking over at United, it was similar,” the Leicester manager said. “In our first game, against Leicester [United won 5-2], we showed energy, commitment, fight … it lifted the crowd. When you get that connection behind you, it drives your performance.” Between jobs at PSV Eindhoven and United, Van Nistelrooy spent time in Argentina and Spain, visiting Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid’s headquarters in Valdebebas. So palatial and plush are the facilities at Leicester’s Seagrave training base north of the city, Van Nistelrooy said if they changed the logos around the place it could easily be mistaken as the home of the La Liga side.

This time last year, Van Nistelrooy spent 10 days shadowing Ancelotti, the master of quiet leadership. Van Nistelrooy clenched his fists when El Khannouss doubled Leicester’s lead, but everything was controlled. At the final whistle, he did not linger on the pitch to absorb praise despite making a dream start to a new era. Lopetegui, head bowed, hands in his pockets, did not bother to approach the traveling supporters. He knows his time could be up.

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