With Leicester City sitting in 12th place, having scored just 18 goals in 15 games, it’s no surprise that many are questioning their forward options. Finding a replacement for Jamie Vardy, who left this past summer, was always going to be hard, especially considering his influence within the side last season. Despite being 38 years old, Vardy still managed to play 36 games, scoring in 10 of them. Fellow City legend Marc Albrighton has had his say on the subject recently when discussing the Foxes’ issues.
Marc Albrighton Has His Say on Leicester’s Issues in Attack
What Albrighton Had to Say:
Albrighton, who amassed over 300 appearances for Leicester, whilst winning the Premier League and F.A. Cup, was critical of the change. When talking to LeicestershireLive, he said: “A big thing they’re lacking is a centre-forward who’s going to score week in, week out….. they were so lucky and so blessed to have Jamie Vardy for so many years. It’s one thing they never had to worry about”.
Vardy, of course, led the line for City since 2012 and became a real focal point of the teams under Nigel Pearson, Claudio Ranieri, Brendan Rodgers and Enzo Maresca. His trademark runs in behind, and a range of finishes made him a real handful and someone Leicester could always rely on. Therefore, it was always going to be tough to find a replacement.
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When talking about Marti Cifuentes’ current options, Albrighton said: “I look at it and I don’t see a clinical goalscorer. Jordan Ayew has played up there, and I like what he brings in terms of his link-up. He gets the team up the pitch, but he just doesn’t score enough goals to be your out-and-out number nine”. Ayew has only ever tallied double figures in the league once in his career, and has only found the net twice so far this season.
Meanwhile, the options outside of the Ghanian don’t provide much other hope. Albrighton added: “ [Patson] Daka, he will run all day for you, but he’s very much struggling to find the back of the net. [Julian] Carranza coming in, he’s not hit the ground running and he’s not fitted in”.
Is This a Fair Analysis?
Whilst it is clear that Cifuentes’ side is struggling to find the net, this is eerily reminiscent of the struggles last season. Even when Vardy was still present, Leicester weren’t clinical in front of goal, as suggested by their goal-scoring tally of just 33. Further evidence to support this is that the club became the first Premier League team to lose eight games in a row without scoring a goal. Therefore, it is evident that this is a problem, but why?
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As the former Leicester wide-man pointed out, Ayew is key to linking play, as opposed to scoring goals. In the false nine role, he flourishes at receiving back to goal, as suggested by the numbers. He is not only in the top one percentile for progressive passes received, averaging 7.63 per 90, but also in the top 1 percentile for passes attempted, with almost 27 per 90. With Ayew so often dropping deep and dragging defenders, he can’t be that same presence in the penalty area.
On the other hand, Daka isn’t as gifted technically and is more likely to use his athleticism to cause issues. He can run in behind and press high, but his link-up play isn’t effective, and in front of goal, he’s severely lacking confidence. It’s been almost a year since he last scored a competitive goal for City, and before that, it was February 2024. Likewise, new signing Carranza has also struggled in recent weeks and is yet to score this season. Whilst he offers glimpses of his quality, the loan deal has been underwhelming so far.
Chance Creation Issues
Outside of the personnel issues, a lack of chance creation is another factor behind the goal drought. In terms of numbers for expected goals and big chances, Leicester are average, and due to this, they often rely on moments of quality from their best players. For example, Abdul Fatawu’s wonder strikes versus both Charlton and Swansea certainly spring to mind, as does Jordan James’ recent flurry of goals.
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Unlike under Maresca two years ago, Leicester are really struggling to break down low blocks and are subsequently leaking goals in transition. This is due to various reasons, such as personnel or tactics, but it’s fair to say the centre-forwards aren’t being provided with a multitude of opportunities. Under Maresca, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Wilfred Ndidi were much better box-crashers and were able to add goals from midfield. Likewise, wingers Fatawu and Stephy Mavididi were often isolated one versus one, and could effect games to a much greater extent. Whilst finding goals has been a key issue over the past twelve months, would finding an out-and-out goalscorer solve the lingering problems within this squad?
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