The immediate question that needs answering is where Leicester City will get a goal from. It is currently 580 minutes of play since Bilal El Khannouss scored at Tottenham Hotspur back in January – and they have not found the net in a Premier League match since.
Another poser is when Ruud van Nistelrooy’s team will have their fate sealed and have their relegation confirmed. The Dutchman has overseen 13 defeats in the last 14 and it will take a miracle to close the nine-point gap to safety.
If they do not go before, the club responsible for one of the greatest Premier League triumphs could be relegated on April 26 when they face Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux. They are currently nine points away from their Midlands rivals and will only have four games left after they face Vitor Pereira’s team.
Wolves sending them down would be a humiliating end to this campaign. Before appointing Pereira they looked dead and buried themselves and can now send Leicester down as they ensure their own survival. But it would only confirm what this Leicester team deserve.
They have been appalling over the last few months and their supporters showed what they thought of the season. By the time Bruno Fernandes wrapped up Manchester United’s 3-0 win at the King Power Stadium, most had headed to the exits and were travelling home. Earlier they had referenced Telegraph Sport’s coverage of their season which revealed a player had brought his dog to training.
“From dogs of war, to doggy day care,” read the banner. When a shot was saved in stoppage-time, fans sarcastically cheered, as André Onana was barely required in United’s goal before that moment.
Southampton, on nine points, will be remembered as one of the worst Premier League teams in history but Leicester are not too far behind. Van Nistelrooy insists his team will fight until the end and will use the international break as a “reset” – but quite where he gets four victories from is a mystery.
“It’s about the mathematical possibility being there, as long as that’s the case we keep going. We can’t and won’t give up until it’s mathematically impossible,” said the Dutchman. “I feel we’re in a momentum where we’re creating chances today but it’s not fallen our way if we stop believing it won’t fall our way, when you’re believing in your work and doing your jobs then it will change
“It’s now a reset. The players are working hard, they need some time to reset, the ones who play for their countries hopefully come back fresh and fit and when we’re all back together we can continue our work.”
Van Nistelrooy would have approved of United’s three goals, which were decent finishes. But Rasmus Hojlund was played into good form by Leicester’s defenders and Alejandro Garnacho’s goal went in at the near post.
“It’s important to keep going and keep doing the things you believe in,” Van Nistelrooy added. “I stay myself, I’m not changing as a person or as a coach. What we’re trying to achieve and the approach of games is the road we’re on. We’re trying everything possible to change results around and that’s my job and I’ll continue to do so.”
It is fighting talk, but it only seems a matter of time before the inevitable.
