MY ACCOUNT
Jamie Vardy has only just returned from a two-month lay-off — now Leicester will be without their talismanic forward once more.
With their star striker sidelined for several weeks with a knee injury picked up against Leeds, the Foxes will need their supporting cast to step up and provide the goals as they chase Europa Conference League glory.
Ahead of this evening’s last-16 second leg at Rennes, we take a look at some of the players Brendan Rodgers will be relying on to keep his team scoring without their No9.
Vardy’s heir
When Patson Daka joined Leicester from FC Salzburg last summer, he was widely touted as Vardy’s long-term successor.
In only his third start for his new club, Daka announced himself to Foxes fans by scoring all four goals in October’s 4-3 Europa League win at Spartak Moscow.
The Zambia international, 23, has only found the net five times since then but he is Leicester’s leading scorer in Europe with six goals in eight games across the Europa League and Europa Conference League.
Now would be a good time to start repaying his reported £22million transfer fee.
A Kelechi comeback?
It was around this time last year that Kelechi Iheanacho enjoyed the most prolific patch of his career, bagging 12 goals in nine games between March and April.
But with Leicester largely moving away from the two-striker system which saw Iheanacho partner Vardy so effectively, the starts — and goals — have dried up this season.
The 25-year-old struck late to seal a 2-0 first-leg win over Rennes though and Vardy’s absence could give him greater opportunity to replicate 2021’s hot streak.
After that goal, only his sixth of the campaign, former Foxes striker Emile Heskey said: “It’s great for him to score, especially with Jamie Vardy being out. The club rely on Vardy, but it’s not just about him.
“Kasper Schmeichel says Iheanacho is the best finisher at the club, and that is fantastic. The finish was not easy at all.”
Goals from midfield
While Leicester’s defence has leaked like a sieve all season — they have shipped 68 goals in 41 matches in all competitions — they have had no issues scoring.
Twenty of their 74 goals in league and cup have been scored by James Maddison (12) and Harvey Barnes (eight), mainstays of the trio behind the lone striker in Rodgers’ preferred 4-2-3-1.
Both netted twice in the Foxes’ 7-2 aggregate victory over Randers in the previous round of the Europa Conference League and both are in form with three strikes apiece since mid-February.
Barnes in particular has received praise from Rodgers for his improved end product.
The Foxes chief said: “Over recent weeks you can see his importance once again to the team and obviously the top-class player that he is and how well he’s been developing.
“I think at the beginning of the season it was more to do with his fitness, where he just couldn’t quite get to the level where he had been at. He didn’t quite make the impact in the games we would have liked because of that.
“He’s now on a regular basis scoring goals, creating goals, but he’s adding that work ethic, that mentality to press and win the ball back.
“While he’s still a player who is developing, I think there’s still so much more to come from him.”
Age is not just a number
Vardy continues to perform at the peak of his powers at the elite level.
But at 35, he has to be carefully managed. Indeed, Vardy has only made one start in Europe this term — in the decisive Europa League group stage defeat at Napoli.
The Foxes have scored 21 European goals and their veteran marksman has not accounted for a single one.
Their attacking strength in depth is such that they might just go all the way without him.
‘A huge influence’
Vardy picked up his latest injury having only just made his first appearance of 2022 following a hamstring problem.
After his goal in the Foxes’ 2-0 win at Burnley saw him break Ian Wright’s record for the most Premier League goals after turning 30, Rodgers emphasised Vardy’s importance to the Leicester cause.
He said: “He’s a huge influence. He’s one of the Premier League’s great strikers. It makes you a better team.
“When you have Jamie in your team, you clearly are in a much better moment in terms of your confidence and leadership.”
Even if they cope without Vardy’s goals, how much could Leicester miss those other qualities against increasingly strong opponents if their Europa Conference League campaign continues into the latter stages?
It is time for the likes of Daka, Iheanacho, Maddison and Barnes to all help fire the Foxes forward.
