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Despite James Maddison's suspension, Kelechi Iheanacho only got five minutes of action against Leeds on Thursday night
When talisman James Maddison was greeted with a fifth booking of the season for his laughable late flop against Crystal Palace. Leicester City fans must have feared the worst.
The Englishman has been one of the only shining lights for the Foxes in the Premier League this season, excelling in spite of Leicester’s pitiful form. Going into a virtual must-win against Leeds United on Thursday night without the suspended Maddison, the task before Brendan Rodgers’ side seemed even more daunting.
They need not have worried.
Sure, Leeds were as agreeable as possible on the night, scoring on the hosts’ behalf to break the deadlock and then holding up directions (in neon) to their exhaust port for the second. That said, Leicester were oddly composed, even if not necessarily enterprising, in their work.
Rodgers’ choice to replace Maddison was instructive, though, as Dennis Praet was the beneficiary in the England international’s absence. This was noteworthy for two reasons. First of all, this is the second time this season that Praet has been selected to fill in for the England international; second, Praet, though versatile, is more of a central midfielder than a forward.
This term, Maddison has mostly featured on the right of the Leicester front three, albeit with a licence to come infield in a free role, slipping through balls in behind and appearing in the box to get shots away.
What is interesting about this latter point is that this is precisely the role in which Kelechi Iheanacho burst onto the scene as a youngster in 2013.
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There has grown this myth of Iheanacho as a no.10 who was transformed into a poacher at Manchester City. That is only half true: in reality, at that Under-17 World Cup where he won the Golden Ball, Iheanacho’s role was quite a bit different.
He functioned as the team’s primary creative prompter, but his starting position was quite a bit wider. He broadly began on the right, relying on the relentless overlapping of full-back and captain Musa Mohammed to come inside and thread passes behind opposing defences. Not only did it get the best from his technique and ball-striking, it also handily solved the problem of how to fit a no.10 who was more forward than midfielder into a 4-3-3. That is, incidentally, the same problem (and solution) Rodgers has encountered in terms of utilising Maddison, who has rediscovered his best form playing in that position.
It is troubling then that, with Maddison out, the idea of using Iheanacho in that role does not appear to have figured in Rodgers’ mind. The 26-year-old is clearly capable from a technical point of view, is no better or worse than Maddison in terms of defensive application, and whenever he is afforded an extended run, his numbers generally hold up. Beyond being unaware of the player’s antecedents, Rodgers’ reticence is difficult to justify. (Although one might say that the result against Leeds is the ultimate justification.)
In truth, it says more about the Nigeria international, who has so grievously regressed that even the performance levels of his teenage self now seem beyond him. It is a marker of the total denudation of a player who was, only 18 months ago, in the middle of an epic purple patch. Playing upfront alongside Jamie Vardy, Iheanacho’s tear was partly responsible for the Foxes’ sole piece of silverware since their fairytale Premier League title in 2016.
The spring and summer of ‘Seniorman’ seem a lifetime away, but while Rodgers is somewhat responsible for not leaning into the possibilities of a front two for the 2021/22 season, Iheanacho has hardly made himself indispensable when he has played recently. There is a bit of catch-22 here: without rhythm, excellence is difficult, but only by excelling without rhythm can the opportunity to build rhythm be provided. Ultimately, it may simply come down to leverage. Relative to the other squad options, the Nigeria international has little.
There is enough blame on both sides of the aisle, but the wider point irrespective is this: Iheanacho has arrived at a fork in the road. As far as his time at Leicester is concerned, the writing on the wall should need little deciphering. The scales may have been partly weighted against him, but he has been found wanting. So what comes next?
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