I don't know if I'm seeing what you are in van Nistelrooy, but I suspect the fact that he wasn't allowed to bring his own staff with him didn't help much. I completely agree with your take on their squad though, there isn't a single player in their best XI that would make ours; El Khannouss might make the bench ahead of Sosa or Moreira, but that's about it.
Leicester v Southampton on May 3rd could be a huge game. They'll almost certainly be down by then and I don't see them living up to the old trope of relegated teams playing better with the pressure off, because they already look like they're playing to avoid injury and get to the summer so they can find somewhere else to play. It's clearly Southampton's best chance of not inheriting Derby's record.