‘Great Movement & Awareness’ – Cottee On Striking Duo's Palace Performance

- Leicester City head into the international break following a 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace
- Kelechi Iheanacho and Jamie Vardy found the net for the Foxes at Selhurst Park
- Ex-City forward Tony Cottee analysed the pair on LCFC Radio's Extra-Time show
- Cottee was full of praise for their goalscoring instincts during Monday’s episode

The Foxes scored two first-half goals to lead at Selhurst Park, before the Eagles fought back to level the scores and ensure Brendan Rodgers’ side would only take one point back to Leicester in the final game before the international break.

Speaking on Monday’s episode of LCFC Radio’s Extra-Time, Cottee discussed why he feels Vardy and Iheanacho link up well when named alongside one another in starting XIs. 

“It’s always a bonus if you can get a left footer and a right footer, but it’s not essential,” the ex-Foxes striker began. “They’ve both got great movement and great awareness and understanding of each other’s game. They can play left and right and swap over.

“There’s so many different formations, but by having those two players, I think it puts the opposition on the back foot. They’ve really got to look to manage the front two. It’s something that Brendan’s wanted to do and it’s something that I want to see going forward.

“And as all the injured players come back, you can pick your best players behind them, but it will give them more options going forward.”

An effective high press from the visitors helped to create the first goal of the afternoon as Iheanacho took the ball from Joachim Andersen before bearing down on goal and coolly slotting past Vicente Guaita.

The strike was his first in the Premier League this term, adding to a thunderbolt against Millwall in the Emirates FA Cup and the match-winning penalty to seal the FA Community Shield at Wembley Stadium in the season’s curtain-raiser.

Cottee has identified an improvement in the Nigerian forward’s game which he believes could lead to an even better goalscoring return for Iheanacho, who found the net on 19 occasions across all competitions in 2020/21.

The 56-year-old explained: “I think it would be fair to say that pressing is something that comes naturally for Jamie. For Kelechi, I don’t think it does. I think it’s something that he’s trying to add to his game, he’s working hard at it in training.

“Would you have seen Kelechi doing that two years ago? I want to give Kelechi praise because it’s not something I’ve naturally seen from him. 

“If you can get it into strikers’ heads that if you win ball in that final third, you’ve got less to run to the goal. If you’re winning the ball in your own half, there’s a long way to go. It makes life a lot easier.

“The one thing that was absolutely certain once he got the ball and went through one-on-one with the goalkeeper was that the ball was going in the back of the net. I can’t stress how hard it is to make it look so easy and that’s the biggest compliment I can give him.

“With Kelechi, he's got that class. Watching the slow-motion replay, there’s just a little glance, his head goes up. He shows an awareness to see where the goal is, to see what he’s going to do.

“If you can just stroke the ball and side-foot it past the goalkeeper, you’re doing something right, and it shows you’ve got a special talent. Let’s give him praise for the closing down and then the quality of the finish.”

Vardy, meanwhile, continued his fine form by netting the second goal in the capital. The 34-year-old has produced a blistering start to the campaign that has included six Premier League goals in seven games. Cottee was full of admiration for the England forward.

“It was another stunning finish from Jamie, making it look so easy,” he added. “Credit to the boys, that pressure on the halfway line, they win the ball, Harvey [Barnes] gets it and, when you get running with the ball like that, which he’s so good at, it’s just really about picking the right option.

“You’ve got to make the right decision and also give the right pass. His pass was almost inch perfect. The defender was stretching his leg out and it had just gone past him. Jamie has just got to check a little bit, but once he gets the ball where he wants it, he makes it look so simple.

“Getting that first touch and getting the ball in front of you, it makes life so much easier. But then you’ve still got to have that calmness. You don’t always have to go across the goalkeeper.

“You’ve got to assess that situation and make an instant decision. Jamie's just stroked the ball into the net. It’s an outstanding return. If you’re looking to be a top goalscorer, you’re wanting a return of one in every two games.

"If you get to the end of the season and you’ve got that, having played 38 games, you’ve had one hell of a season. Leicester City have got a player that’s in dynamic form. He’s always been a top goalscorer.”