Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers says in-form striker Kelechi Iheanacho can still improve as he still makes too many mistakes despite his recent scoring form.
Iheanacho was on target again as Leicester thrashed West Brom 3-0 on Thursday night to strengthen their top-four ambitions.
It was Iheanacho’s 16th goal in 32 appearances in all competitions for Leicester this season.
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The Foxes are now four points ahead of Chelsea who are currently in fourth position.
And as cited by BBC Sport, Rodgers said:“It was a good win, any win is a big win. Our intensity was really good in the first half hour. I wasn’t happy at half time as our passing wasn’t good enough.
“I am not thinking about the other teams, we have to think about ourselves. We can only control ourselves.
“Jamie Vardy has done it throughout his career and Kelechi Iheanacho is now showing his qualities – he can still improve as he is still making too many mistakes, but he is getting in there.
“This group will sometimes lose games but they are so honest and they want to be better. When you have that it is the dream ticket. It is all you can ask for as a coach.”
13 Comments
Rodgers may be referring to 2 very bad misses by Nacho in the first half.
Yes, they were poor mistakes. Nacho will learn from them and improve.
Rodgers is well advised not to upset the apple cart by tampering with the Vardy-Nacho partnership. This is the golden goose that is laying the golden egg currently. Leave them alone to grow in understanding together.
If he wants to stylishly re-integrate Harvey Barnes when he gets back from injury, as per England things, find a way to bring him back in without tampering with the golden goose!
Top marks Pompei.
Well said at Pompei.
If you watched closely, Maddison played most with vardy, even when Nacho had a clearer positioning..
They seem not happy Nacho is striking-in each game.
Una don start? Same way you guys believe Napoli players not passing the ball to VO, this are all top soccer players who are aiming to achieve something great for the club and there respective personal self, we should desist from all this unfounded assumption pls.
Yes I saw it and good Madison was replaced. Every player makes mistakes that is why it is not computer game but human factor. Other players made mistakes yesterday but the good thing about Nacho is that he hustles for goals and play very well with his team mates. With the confidence level he has now that he is assured of 90 minutes of play he will deliver as he has been doing
Iheanacho is playing probably his best football at the moment. He is scoring regularly and his confidence is high (saw the freekick he took in yesterdays game) but he shouldn’t let that make him complacent. As a Through professional he should take the advice of his coach and better himself.
If there are areas in his game he needs to work on then he should do it.
He scored one yesternight but it could have been more. His hunger for goals or assists should never go dry.
He needs to keep improving inorder to be the best he can be.
He loses possession too quickly and easily in vital areas…his possession of the ball and releasing same quickly and correctly should be improved upon. Positional play is quite good but he has to show that aggressions and implement that speed and danger on the opponents dangerous areas, I mean, in front of the 18 yard box…like vardy. Learn how to course pannick in the defence areas especially now that he is being noticed but must be effective at doing it…
I have always said and will continue to say Iheanacho is blessed to have a coach like Brendan Rodgers and Super eagles will reap the rewards of it. Like I was saying when everybody in this Forum was telling him to leave Leicester City while the coach was working on his game, “Brendan Rodgers makes players better” I.e. Luis Suarez Etc.
Iheanacho definitely needs to improve in some aspects of his game i.e. turn of pace, Touches, awareness and most importantly decision making. The coach in this case definitely knows best.
The substance sitting silently behind your contribution above cannot be overstated.
I agree with your sentiments here Ugo. One can’t overstate the positive impact of Brendan Rodgers’ coaching methods, techniques and approach to man management on Iheanacho’s rich vein of form.
Obviously, the Northern Irish gaffer has his well documented concerns about aspects of Iheanacho’s game. Nonetheless, he has enough faith in Iheanacho to build up his confidence leading to superior performance and sustained output.
Pragmatically, I don’t think Iheanacho will be an automatic starting 11 for Leicester into the future as Rodgers continues to look for reinforcement in that area. But Kels (as the former Liverpool boss calls him) will always have a place in the squad and should expect substantial game time if he continues to show improvements in aspects of his game, not least the ones mentioned by you Ugo in your opinion piece above.
Brendan Rodgers said what many of us were thinking, and some of the faults Guardiola commented about Kelechi years ago – easy loss of concentration that creates unnecessary errors; inability to engage in one-on-one combat to win the ball; easily getting bundled over by defenders and lying down expecting the referee to award a free kick.
I think it’s disrespectful for Rodgers to make it public that statement.
Matters like this are best addressed in private.He wouldnt say the same against Vardy or any other Caucasian player.
Absolutely @grrenturf, I mean, these are strictly dressing room or tactical training issues that should be dealt with privately instead of publicly. Is kele the only player that makes mistakes? Even vardy and a lot of other players in football make mistakes but their coaches don’t rub it on their faces in public. I think, lots of people are not happy that this young lad has suddenly improved despite all they did do flush him down the drain. They knew he had quality but prrffered the white guys (vardy and banes) to him. Its not a surprise at all that kele is doing well bcs he’s such a talent. These white guys can be very funny. I guess, he’s just indirectly giving us reasons why kele would be dropped to the bench again if banes or whatever they call him recovers. The otber time the same man said kele was a player for the future and now this. What actually does he mean by this nonsense???? They ain’t happy at all.