Iheanacho

[Guest Chocolate Teapot]

I like him and he's been terrific the last two games but there's no denying he's inconsistent. Whether he can keep it up will be the real test for him.

 

Don't buy the argument he's not been used enough by the manager (although i do understand that some need an excuse to hammer the manager at all times), he's never played that well as a lone striker but seems much more comfortable with two out and out winners that we've got now.

 

Long may his form continue, definitely looks our best bet now.

 

 

[Larry_LCFC]

He has always been a massive confidence player. Brilliant when he has some and diabolical when he doesnt. Needs to have a long run of games now.

[SafewayFox]

6 hours ago, Chocolate Teapot said:

I like him and he's been terrific the last two games but there's no denying he's inconsistent. Whether he can keep it up will be the real test for him.

 

Don't buy the argument he's not been used enough by the manager (although i do understand that some need an excuse to hammer the manager at all times), he's never played that well as a lone striker but seems much more comfortable with two out and out winners that we've got now.

 

Long may his form continue, definitely looks our best bet now.

 

 

Agree and disagree mate.

 

This season in isolation, when it hasn’t worked with Daka or Vardy uptop, Kelechi couldn’t get a sniff.

 

This summer is going to be a weird one….is it foolish to say Kelechi is our number 9 now and would let Daka go or do we need to go all out and bring in a hybrid of Vardy/Kelechi or do they even exist in our budget?

 

Toney the closest that springs to mind but he’s not obtainable nowadays.

[FosseSpark]

Iheanacho now in top 10 all time premier league list, based on mins per goal or assist contribution (150 appearances or more)

Let him play....hes one of the most efficient strikers in prem history.

 

 

[murphy]

7 hours ago, Chocolate Teapot said:

I like him and he's been terrific the last two games but there's no denying he's inconsistent. Whether he can keep it up will be the real test for him.

 

Don't buy the argument he's not been used enough by the manager (although i do understand that some need an excuse to hammer the manager at all times), he's never played that well as a lone striker but seems much more comfortable with two out and out winners that we've got now.

 

Long may his form continue, definitely looks our best bet now.

 

 

I would deny that.  The last time he had an extended run in the team was when Vardy was injured (20-21) and he scored 19 times and almost single-handedly kept us in the Champion's League race when the wheels were falling off.  Criminally, Perez was chosen ahead of him at first with predictable results.

 

I would argue that Iheanacho is consistent.  He plays, he scores.

 

 

[RumbleFox]

I can’t understand how anyone would have even small doubts about Iheanacho. When he plays he is just a goal involvement machine. I think sometimes people build up a narrative about players in their heads then it kinda sticks. He’s not inconsistent, he’s been inconsistently used. If he plays, he scores and assists at a statistically higher rate than any other player in our squad. Use him, trust him, he’ll be a star. 

[RumbleFox]

32 minutes ago, FosseSpark said:

Iheanacho now in top 10 all time premier league list, based on mins per goal or assist contribution (150 appearances or more)

Let him play....hes one of the most efficient strikers in prem history.

 

 

Quite surprised to see Cantona there as he was never a goal machine. Must have racked up the assists? 

[Guest Chocolate Teapot]

2 hours ago, murphy said:

I would deny that.  The last time he had an extended run in the team was when Vardy was injured (20-21) and he scored 19 times and almost single-handedly kept us in the Champion's League race when the wheels were falling off.  Criminally, Perez was chosen ahead of him at first with predictable results.

 

I would argue that Iheanacho is consistent.  He plays, he scores.

 

 

He played loads last season particularly when vardy was out and particularly in the conference league and didn't really do anything. Perez was chosen ahead of him as a winger as well which kelechi really isn't and the defensive side of his game isn't really good enough to play as a midfielder- he needs a free role which he's getting now. 

[dmayne7]

20 minutes ago, Chocolate Teapot said:

He played loads last season particularly when vardy was out and particularly in the conference league and didn't really do anything. Perez was chosen ahead of him as a winger as well which kelechi really isn't and the defensive side of his game isn't really good enough to play as a midfielder- he needs a free role which he's getting now. 

He played 2212 minutes; roughly 25 full games or so in a season when Vardy was injured for a lot of it and we played something like 55+ games. Appearance wise he played a fair amount but actual minutes, I'd hardly call that loads. In that he got 17 goal contributions so that's pretty damn good. In fact, from his 5 full 90 mins in the PL, he got 5 goals/assists.

 

Rodgers has only even chosen him when he's been forced into it really. Look at his stats over the past 2/3 seasons and there's no debate to be had that he has been underused

[murphy]

32 minutes ago, Chocolate Teapot said:

He played loads last season particularly when vardy was out and particularly in the conference league and didn't really do anything. Perez was chosen ahead of him as a winger as well which kelechi really isn't and the defensive side of his game isn't really good enough to play as a midfielder- he needs a free role which he's getting now. 

When I am talking about Perez being preferred to him, I am talking specifically as a replacement at centre forward in 2021 when Vardy was injured.  It was a baffling decision that might have cost us when we came so close to qualifying.

 

 

[Guest Chocolate Teapot]

8 minutes ago, dmayne7 said:

He played 2212 minutes; roughly 25 full games or so in a season when Vardy was injured for a lot of it and we played something like 55+ games. Appearance wise he played a fair amount but actual minutes, I'd hardly call that loads. In that he got 17 goal contributions so that's pretty damn good. In fact, from his 5 full 90 mins in the PL, he got 5 goals/assists.

 

Rodgers has only even chosen him when he's been forced into it really. Look at his stats over the past 2/3 seasons and there's no debate to be had that he has been underused

I think there is a debate when the reality of getting him involved meant either changing the entire system to 352, playing him as a 9 instead of vardy who had a far better record than him, or playing him as a 10 ahead of maddison. He's not played because he completely imbalanced the side and needs the side to be set up to play to his strengths and his strengths have not neccesarily been our strengths. His stats were fine last season but not better than others in his position.

 

[Guest Chocolate Teapot]

1 minute ago, murphy said:

When I am talking about Perez being preferred to him, I am talking specifically as a replacement at centre forward in 2021 when Vardy was injured.  It was a baffling decision that might have cost us when we came so close to qualifying.

 

 

You'll have to remind which game this was because I do not recall this - Perez played as a striker in 2019 but Iheanacho was dreadful back then and you'd only need to look at some of the comments on here to realise that.

[westernpark]

1 minute ago, Chocolate Teapot said:

I think there is a debate when the reality of getting him involved meant either changing the entire system to 352, playing him as a 9 instead of vardy who had a far better record than him, or playing him as a 10 ahead of maddison. He's not played because he completely imbalanced the side and needs the side to be set up to play to his strengths and his strengths have not neccesarily been our strengths. His stats were fine last season but not better than others in his position.

 

When you look at the minutes, they’re really not bad stats. Perhaps if he’d started against Norwich and Watford at the end of the season like Vardy on his Zimmer frame, he’d have got even more goals. Another reason that stats should be used as interpretive evidence rather than the complete truth.

[murphy]

5 minutes ago, Chocolate Teapot said:

You'll have to remind which game this was because I do not recall this - Perez played as a striker in 2019 but Iheanacho was dreadful back then and you'd only need to look at some of the comments on here to realise that.

I think it was a run of about three games starting with Villa?  I'm sure someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Anyway, with Vardy out long term for the second half of the season we were left with Nacho as his direct replacement but Perez was preferred instead and was pretty ineffectual and that experiment was aborted after about three games.  Nacho came in after that and scored loads.  

 

We came up short again by a hair's breadth, but without Iheanacho we would have been nowhere near.

[filbertway]

 

[goose2010]

works well in a balanced attack line. Allows him to drop in and play through balls (not many better in our team at that!) 

 

As soon as it becomes unbalanced with say maddison out wide, it doesnt work. As they both end up in the same place. 

[coolhandfox]

Think current system suit him well, two wide forwards who can run in behind and stretch the game.

 

Maddison close by allows lot of opportunities for quick 1-2s.

 

Feel like him and Maddison can interchange almost like playing two 10s, think he will bring even more out of maddison. 

 

He's already assisted him twice.

Edited 13 February 2023 by coolhandfox

[Free Falling Foxes]

We football fans are a strange bunch aren't we?

We are debating if a striker who scores frequently or often provides an assist, should have  been playing regularly.

Edited 13 February 2023 by Free Falling Foxes

[ARTY_FOX]

2 minutes ago, Free Falling Foxes said:

We football fans are a strange bunch aren't we?

We are debating if a striker who scores frequently or often provides an assist, should be playing regularly.

Theres isn't a debate to have. He should have become the main man up top a long time ago. 

[Guest Chocolate Teapot]

5 minutes ago, ARTY_FOX said:

Theres isn't a debate to have. He should have become the main man up top a long time ago. 

Ahead of vardy?

 

Hes had as many chances to prove hes the number 9 as daka and vardy, and not taken them.

 

Two good games and there's no debate to be had apparently 🤣

Edited 13 February 2023 by Chocolate Teapot

[dmayne7]

19 minutes ago, Chocolate Teapot said:

Ahead of vardy?

 

Hes had as many chances to prove hes the number 9 as daka and vardy, and not taken them.

 

Two good games and there's no debate to be had apparently 🤣

I'm with you that he shouldn't have been ahead of Vardy although there was a debate to be had about it and it should have been those 2 competing for it rather than just handed on a plate to Vards. Agree with your other comments that he does now have the best players to suit him up there on his own (been saying this for ages, it's about having runnings beyond so he can drop in).

 

But there is no way in a million years it can be said he has had as many chances as the other 2. Vardy earned the right to have 3/4 games without scoring and still deemed the number 1, there's no issue there. But Iheanacho should have been afforded 3/4 games in a row yet a couple of small mistakes and he'd get dropped after 1 game, whereas Daka could play for 3/4 games without the same criticisms or fear of being dropped (not a slight against Daka who I still have hope for). If you want like for like then Daka in for Vardy is more logical. But, if you wanted to give the team the best chance of winning, you pick the best striker available even if it means changing up the system because of available personnel. Instead he'd get one game, with the team set up in the same way and then be dropped by the manager if he didn't score or assist (or even if he did sometimes!). He didn't get the same backing as the others did. Been a bit part player through no fault of his own.

[The_77]

54 minutes ago, Chocolate Teapot said:

Ahead of vardy?

 

Hes had as many chances to prove hes the number 9 as daka and vardy, and not taken them.

 

Two good games and there's no debate to be had apparently 🤣

I think this is a bit unfair. 
 

Firstly, it’s been more than two great games.  The level of opposition wasn’t as good in our last two FA Cup games but Iheanacho was our best player in those matches, and we looked so much better when he came on against Fulham. 
 

We know he can be inconsistent (what striker isn’t?) but even when he’s off kilter in the box, he still has the ability to link up play unlike any of our other forward players. We’ve been watching Daka get pushed around all season knowing that wouldn’t happen to the Seniorman. 

 

Edited 13 February 2023 by The_77
Grammar

[Ric Flair]

We can go over this and argue it until we're blue in the face on Seniorman.

 

It does seem on the surface that he's been criminally underused but up until 2 weeks ago we only had 1 decent winger and I'm sorry but he needs options to run ahead of him otherwise there's then very little attacking structure if he's the #9. We've seen him play there and the results are very different to when he's played in a front 2 or in an attacking 3 with balance and threat.

 

The point about him never being allowed a poor run of games is fair to say though, I actually said this on this week's BSLB Podcast. Although I can see why he's not been given that freedom of playing himself back in to form because of what I've said above about how he fitted previously in to our unbalanced team and squad.

 

What has to happen now though is he's given a run of games regardless and let's see how he handles it. Vardy and Daka don't seem to be finding any form any time soon and our attack has some much more dynamic to it right now that Iheanacho prospers rather than possibly hinders as has before. He's a pure goalscorer and creator when allowed to be and we need to cherish him.

 

If it doesn't for whatever reason work out at the end of this season for him then we must sell him as this is ridiculous.

[volpeazzurro]

6 hours ago, FosseSpark said:

Iheanacho now in top 10 all time premier league list, based on mins per goal or assist contribution (150 appearances or more)

Let him play....hes one of the most efficient strikers in prem history.

 

 

Doesn't bode well for Nacho this, Rodgers will be spitting feathers at facts like that, I forsee another spell on the bench as soon as he plays a game without scoring the little upstart!

That Mendy chap's also in for an ear bending with such good performances, that also makes it difficult for Rodgers to drop him and play his wantaway friend !

[pmcla26]

I think that the reason Rodgers didn't use him earlier in the season was because of a lack of pace in attack to stretch teams or hurt them on the break, hence why Daka was preferred. I get the feeling that Rodgers felt that without that pace, we'd be static and teams would just encroach our half without having to worry about the space behind them. Tete now negates this issue. 

 

In hindsight (and it's easy to say now, of course), Rodgers probably have used Iheanacho anyway as Daka didn't put a consistent run of form together, but still, I'm glad he's back in the side and scoring goals.