Kelechi Iheanacho

[HybridFox]

His turn which took the defender out and put him through on goal was sublime.

 

Still so much to come from this guy! Chuffed he's managed to defy the doubters (including myself) and become a key part of the squad.

[Realjimbo]

On an upbeat note Nacho has gone from zero to hero in my book and surely deserves a few starts in his best position, take the load off Vards too.

[StanSP]

Genuinely always had faith in him to come good while others wrote him off after a few games...

 

He's like a player reborn. A combination of some love from the manager and players around him but also seems to have got his head down to work on his game and focus in the match. The touch to bring down and get past Ogbonna (?) to lead to winning the penalty was great.

 

Wish he didn't get the ball stuck under his feet so much in the closing stages of the game when we were still carving out chances but it worked in our favour to lead to the Perez game so swings and roundabouts!

 

I have confidence that he could step in to Vardy's shoes when required but his impact from the bench is so valuable. Really good option to have off the bench and deputise if Vardy gets injured/tired in matches. 

[urban fox]

I think we will be seeing far more of him, as tonight's injury to Vardy shows the toll of the fixture congestion (and Vardy had a couple of weeks off) will mean we will need to rotate far more often when we are playing in Europe next year. I can see a sort of Shinji/Ulloa thing with him and Vardy developing. Both get plenty of game time, but also avoids burn out, potentially helping Vardy to prolong his career at the top. Win win. We also can see that he works well in a front two too 

[Realjimbo]

Vards really needs to play less like the sublime Aguero, unfortunately we don't have Sterling, Jesus and the Algerian bloke to rotate him with!

But Nacho and Perez down the middle would work I'm sure.

[urban fox]

waiting for someone to suggest we should rest him against Brentford as we shouldn't risk an injury to our main striker (with vardy out) in a cup game against lower opposition and save him for the semi.

[foxile5]

Happy to hold up my hands in guilt. He was, to my mind, a busted flush with us. 

 

He looks like a different player now though. 

 

Don't get me wrong, there are flaws in his game still. I can see now a willingness to improve and change them. That didn't seem present until recently. 

 

Very much a changed player. Huge credit to him. I think that not getting a game with us and being publicly bollocked by his national manager must've had the desired impact which is refreshing to see. It would've been easy for him to write both us and Nigeria off as being unnecessarily harsh - footballers prerogative and all that. 

[Fightforever]

Does his buyback clause have an expiry date?

[Dan LCFC]

I am starting to seriously rate this bloke. Always like it when a striker doesn't score and their performances still really impresses me - that was the case for him. He's really settled into this team now. Would've laughed if someone said I'd type this back in October.

[foxile5]

1 hour ago, Fightforever said:

Does his buyback clause have an expiry date?

Expired. One year i believe. 

[gerrytaggart]

He's matured on and off the pitch, fair play to the lad. 

 

 

 

[KrefelderFox666]

6 hours ago, Dan LCFC said:

I am starting to seriously rate this bloke. Always like it when a striker doesn't score and their performances still really impresses me - that was the case for him. He's really settled into this team now. Would've laughed if someone said I'd type this back in October.

Absolutely, he has a lot of assists to his name this season. I know he always tries to take on the shot but only when he thinks he has a chance of scoring, says a lot about his confidence. However, he also has the ability to spot a better positioned player and sets them up. Just a great team player and Vardy's injury may be a little blessing in disguise as Iheanacho now surely has to start a few games (something he's deserved).

[mabrah]

I particularly enjoyed him joining in on Perez's goal celebration; the fingers to the ears thing. I'd thought previously that there might be an odd aloofness to Nacho, but that disproved that - he's joining in, a part of the team performance. And enjoying it!

Edited 23 January 2020 by mabrah

[whoareyaaa]

Turning into a very good player, his link up play is a joy to see and he knows where the goal is.. will be good to see him have a decent run in the side while Vardys out 

 

His movement was also worth noting seems to have gained a extra yard or two

Edited 23 January 2020 by whoareyaaa

[Sol thewall Bamba]

Rodgers is a miracle worker helping to turn Nacho around. Like a £20 Million new signing. 

[lcfcdotell]

What a bloody player. The turn around has been incredible, he looks so so good. I love the way he works with Ayoze. A year ago we’d all be panicking if Vardy got injured but not so much anymore 

[dooflip]

Was impressed last night.

ok he’s not perfect a he’s not vardy.

 

BUT

We are seeing something a bit different. His game is changing.

 

hes struggled because we are a team that plays to vardy. And any striker who isn’t in that mould naturally will struggle trying to play that way.

 

his hold up play last night was good. Not amazing but good and I’m hoping it gets even better with more coaching.

 

iirc Brendan likes a big lad that can hold it up and if that’s how we can get the best out of nacho man then I am all for it. We could have a player after all.

 

though I wish he wasn’t so clumsy😂

[Xen]

Some excellent movement on and off the ball last night. Not the same kind of movement as Vardy dragging defenders all over the shop, but still effective and there were more than a few occasions where a quick ball up to Iheanacho would've (or did!) carve West Ham open. 

His link up play was astonishing as well - really seems to have gelled with the rest of our attackers - Perez and Ricardo in particular yesterday - and he seems to have developed that knack for being a bit more selfish when it calls for it, but also content with being the provider and setting things up for others.

 

I actually thought we were better with him on the pitch than when it was Vardy leading the line, yesterday. Over a full season Vardy still comes out on top, but if we need to rely on Iheanacho longer-term I wouldn't have too many complaints.

 

Long may it continue.

[Dahnsouff]

Spot on @Xen - different proposition with Kelechi on the field. Not better just different, he seems more entwined, engaged, with the midfield passing than Vardy. 

 

[mancunianfox]

Iheanacho has improved this year but the big thing for me is the chemistry he has with Perez. The two of them both play miles better when they are both on the pitch together and look really dangerous. They just seem to suit each other really well and know what the other is going to do.

[Xen]

Just now, Dahnsouff said:

Spot on @Xen - different proposition with Kelechi on the field. Not better just different, he seems more entwined, engaged, with the midfield passing than Vardy. 

 

I think that in the past a lot of our striker-related issues have been because the old-style Vardy was literally impossible to replace. Pretty much no top-level strikers played in the same style as him, and anyone who did wasn't good enough for this level. We'd painted ourselves into a corner and couldn't get out.

 

Now, though, Vardy has adapted his game to be a lot more intelligent and 'typical' of other top strikers - partly due to his age and partly due to Rodgers' play style. It means that now it's a lot easier for another player (in this case, Iheanacho) to slot in, and it brings out the best in other players around him as well. We're almost going down the Man City route of having strong performers in every attacking position who raise each others' game, rather than focussing all our attacking play on the movement of one key player.

 

Vardy will obviously still be our talismanic striker whenever he's fit, but performances like yesterday suggest that when he retires we won't suffer quite as much from his absence as we might've done previously.

[Mickyblueeyes]

When he signed for us he was a young player with a hefty price tag. He was expected to score 20 goals and have an immediate impact. How he has developed shows young players need time to be nurtured. Long may it continue as we have a player on our hands.

[The boy Linacre]

With the Vardy injury, who know hows much regular play in more central positions Ayoze & Nacho will see, a great opportunity for them to show the fans what they can really do consistently.

 

My one bugbear with Nacho is absolutely NO RIGHT FOOT (Chilwell's massive problem too!!) and yet he has had 2 1/2 years in the wilderness to work on it.

One of the many areas that Vardy has massively improved is with his left foot, that's an example of how to get better as a player.

 

But he has made a major difference and improvement this season, so well done to him and great news for the club, should be enough to see us finish in top 4.

[The boy Linacre]

With the Vardy injury, who know hows much regular play in more central positions Ayoze & Nacho will see, a great opportunity for them to show the fans what they can really do consistently.

 

My one bugbear with Nacho is absolutely NO RIGHT FOOT (Chilwell's massive problem too!!) and yet he has had 2 1/2 years in the wilderness to work on it.

One of the many areas that Vardy has massively improved is with his left foot, that's an example of how to get better as a player.

 

But he has made a major difference and improvement this season, so well done to him and great news for the club, should be enough to see us finish in top 4.

[Corky]

Noticeable how good his touch is, manages to keep it under pressure now and keeps the momentum going.

 

His work for the penalty was exceptional.