We assess the lay of the land and look ahead: what factors could influence how things pan out for the Nigeria international?
Review of 2021/22
Given that he ended the 2020/21 season on such a high, much was expected of Iheanacho last term. However, Brendan Rodgers’ tactical preferences saw him struggle for starts in the initial weeks of the league campaign, bringing his momentum to a jarring halt.
When he did get starts, they were few and far between, and even when played in European competition, it was clear that playing as a lone striker did not bring the best out of him. In all, he finished the campaign with eight goals and nine assists in all competitions.
State of play
Leicester’s inability (or unwillingness) to enter the market appears to have placed a cap on their realistic ambitions going into 2022/23, and the uncertainty around a couple of first-team stars has only made it worse. If nothing else, it at least means Iheanacho is no farther down the pecking order than he was at the end of last season.
Rodgers has played around with a number of different shapes in preseason, but the fact that the Nigeria international has only started one of Leicester’s six preparatory matches so far is a red flag, and portends more of the same ahead of the new season.
Big question: Can he convince Rodgers to stick to a two-striker system for good?
Let’s be honest, based on the way he finished the 2020/21 season, Iheanacho should have been afforded greater confidence by Rodgers. That would have meant the Northern Irishman laying down his own preferences, but the 25-year-old showed he could justify such a change.
The question now is much the same: will Rodgers finally do what his side needs and play with a front two on a consistent basis? There is no silver bullet tactical shape anyway, so if you have a striker who can (only) do one to a very high level, it is worth figuring out the kinks in a system that brings the best out of him. That Jamie Vardy juice cannot stay fresh forever.
What can he improve?
His ability to get into dangerous areas, even on a per 90 basis, took a severe hit last season. He will have to build that back up.
More pertinently, however, is that he simply needs to shoot more. Compared to forwards in Europe’s top five leagues, Iheanacho’s shooting averages per 90 are frankly embarrassing. A lot of that is a matter of the zones he takes up, so there is a bit of chicken and egg to this. His shots on target percentage is so low precisely because he mostly shoots from sub-optimal positions and in less than ideal circumstances. Some of that may be down to confidence, of course.
What would constitute a good season?
With no European football commitments this season, Iheanacho may well find it even harder to accrue minutes. His key metric, then, must be around starts. If he gets them consistently, his confidence tends to go up, and so, presumably, will his output.
Starts: >20 (all competitions)
Goals: 10 goals (all competitions)
Assists: 10 assists (competitions)
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