By Johnny Edward
Brendan Rodgers looks set to keep faith in the Kelechi Iheanacho as a show of strong support for the Nigerian in the wake of his missed chances in the Foxes defeat to Southampton last Saturday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Kelechi Iheanacho missed three golden opportunities in the encounter as the Foxes suffered a 1-0 defeat – their 15th league defeat of the season.
It was the second successive Premier League game that Leicester City failed to register a shot on target, with poor finishing to blame this time.
Iheanacho was most guilty of wayward shooting, putting two free headers wide before curling a shot over the bar after Saints keeper Gavin Bazunu inadvertently passed him the ball.
Those misses proved costly for the Foxes who remain in the thick of the relegation battle with just two points separating them from the bottom three ahead of this weekend’s home game against Chelsea.
Speaking ahead of Leicester’s home clash against Chelsea at the King Power Stadium, Rodgers has praised Iheanacho’s recent form and backed him to bury those chances if they come his away again.
“He (Iheanacho) has been brilliant for us of late,” Rodgers said.
“He’s been the one who looks like the threat. He kept fighting and kept working. I think it’s a mark of a really good striker to keep going.
“We’ve seen him in recent weeks, where he has taken the opportunities and scored. He had two great opportunities from free headers, and the one from the edge of the box, he usually finds the corner with those. It was important for him to hit the target, but it wasn’t to be.
“But he’s still the player that looks like he is going to score for us. I’d rather him miss the opportunities than not have any. On another day, he’ll score those.”
Iheanacho has scored six goals in all competitions for City this season, with only James Maddison (nine) and Harvey Barnes (eight) netting more. Four of the of the Nigerian’s goals have come in his last seven games.
“You lose a game there are always questions, you win a game he’s a fantastic striker. He’s shown up really well in the last number of weeks. It was just unfortunate for him,” Rodgers added.
Source: The Punch
