As the final whistle loomed, a large banner was held up in the stands that simply stated: “Time for change.”
But this week, it was not Leicester City supporters protesting. In fact, at the other end of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Leicester fans were experiencing a rare emotion this season — celebration.
After seven consecutive defeats, including miserable back-to-back home losses to Crystal Palace and Fulham that led to disgruntled fans turning on the club’s hierarchy and manager Ruud van Nistelrooy, there were low expectations as Leicester travelled to north London.
When the line-up was released, there was early despondency that there had been only one change — it felt like Van Nistelrooy was trying the same approach that had led to seven defeats but hoping for a different outcome. By half-time, with Leicester again conceding the first goal after their soft defensive underbelly was exposed, they were staring down the barrel of another demoralising reverse.
But this week, something else that had been missing was present. There was spirit and character. Leicester took the two chances that came their way inside five implausible minutes after the restart, followed by a backs-to-the-wall determination that, this week, they would not fold under pressure.
It helped that they were playing a Tottenham side low on numbers, energy and confidence, but Leicester showed there was some fight in them after a challenging week.
Bilal El Khannouss celebrates his winner against Spurs (Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Van Nistelrooy knew he had to show some authority and let his players know that what was being served up wasn’t acceptable. He isn’t slow to express his dissatisfaction in the dressing room and after the Fulham defeat, he certainly let some of his players know things had to change.
Among them was Facundo Buonanotte, who Van Nistelrooy challenged in Spanish because he was unhappy he had chosen moulded studs on a wet pitch rather than longer studs and struggled to retain his footing during his brief cameo as a substitute.
It may have seemed harsh to pull up a young player who had hardly been at fault during the defeat about something relatively minor, but it was about more than footwear. Van Nistelrooy is demanding better standards and more professionalism.
“It’s my job to hold players accountable,” he said in his pre-match press conference on Friday. “Where are the things that can improve? What are the standards that are needed for a professional football player?
“It’s not always the kind and calm voice that I’m talking with now. We need to address things.”
Argentina international Buonanotte was not the only one to be told some harsh truths and it had a positive effect. The Leicester dressing room contains strong-minded individuals, as previous managers have found, but they value authority and leadership and Van Nistelrooy’s impassioned reaction to the Fulham defeat demonstrated he was up for the fight. The question was whether his players would be up for it, too.
During the week, he took the entire squad and staff for a meal to help with team bonding and morale after a week when many had been battered both on and off the pitch.
At half-time against Spurs, with history threatening to repeat itself, there was calm. Van Nistelrooy urged them to stick to the game plan, with the only slight change being Leicester playing long from impressive goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk (see below) rather than attempting to play out from the back and take undue risks. The game plan was simplified.
“I saw a side at half-time that were 1-0 down but weren’t affected mentally,” Van Nistelrooy said. “They knew the game plan was going accordingly. I felt that today, players reacted (to the previous week) in a great way.
“They were improving, especially off the ball, the way our back four was helping to push our midfielders and wingers higher up.”
The two goals that followed in the five minutes after half-time owed much to Leicester being on the front foot and taking advantage of Spurs’ errors. First, with Boubakary Soumare driving forward into space and their goalkeeper, Antonin Kinsky, failing to deal with a cross, then Bobby De Cordova-Reid pouncing on a loose ball and Bilal El Khannouss — another standout performer alongside Stolarczyk — placing a shot when unopposed on the edge of the area. Simple, but executed well.
Leicester also finished in a solid-looking 5-3-2, with Conor Coady shoring up the defence as Leicester showed more resilience.
They may not have turned the corner and there are still issues, especially with the transfer window open and recruits required.
Midfielder Hamza Choudhury is set to join Sheffield United on loan with a view to a permanent move, while Luke Thomas has been the subject of a rejected €5million (£4.2m; $5.3m) offer from German club Hoffenheim. The full-back is entering the final year of his contract this summer and has hardly featured under Van Nistelrooy, so a deal could be done for the 23-year-old.
After the departure of Tom Cannon, also to Sheffield United, there is a greater opportunity to strengthen, with a central defender and a winger particularly needed.
The win will not quieten the protests from the Leicester fans, who want to see more accountability off the field, too, but for one week at least, they can see some fight from their team and a window of hope.
“It’s not going to disappear all of a sudden with a win,” Van Nistelrooy said about the noise around the club. “We are not putting any energy into the noise around us other than getting better as a team.”
This was the first step in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go.
(Top photo: Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)
