Van Nistelrooy Outlines Leicester’s New Focus as Squad Prepares for Championship Challenge

Leicester City have shifted focus, placing greater emphasis on preparing for life in the Championship next season, manager Ruud van Nistelrooy has confirmed.

Although City ended their losing streak with a hard-fought 2-2 draw at Brighton—twice coming from behind—the result is unlikely to spark hopes of an improbable escape from relegation.

If Wolves win their upcoming fixtures against Tottenham and Manchester United, Leicester will be relegated before their next match against Liverpool even begins.

At the Amex Stadium, van Nistelrooy made tactical changes, moving away from a back-five formation and introducing three new players into the starting lineup.

Two of those fresh faces, Stephy Mavididi and Caleb Okoli, found the back of the net.

Mavididi ended the club’s lengthy goal drought, while Okoli scored a late equaliser to salvage a point.

Van Nistelrooy admitted that the lineup changes and tactical switch were made with next season in mind.

The remaining games are now being used to evaluate which players are committed to staying at the King Power Stadium and contributing to the club’s rebuild.

That intention was also reflected in the inclusion of teenagers Jake Evans and Bade Aluko in the matchday squad.

This revised approach translated into a more determined display, earning City their first point since January.

“It was an excellent performance,” said van Nistelrooy.

“We managed to break two negative cycles—scoring goals and getting a result. It was a passionate display, the kind I want to see from the team.

“We haven’t shown enough of that in recent weeks. Chelsea was probably the last game where we truly competed. Since then, we’ve struggled.

“We’ve had many discussions about how to approach these final six or seven matches—how to use them productively and how to break out of this rut. The players gave a great response today.

“It was evident there was more fight. When you’re stuck in a negative cycle, it can feel endless. But you must take action.

You can’t sit back in difficult times—you have to lead the change yourself. We’ve talked about that a lot.”