SM
Man City vs. Chelsea: 14 hrs 13 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
WL
Premier League | Gameweek 29
Mar 3, 2019 at 12pm UK
 
LL

2-1

Deeney (5'), Gray (92')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Vardy (75')

Rodgers vows to make Vardy force to be reckoned with again

:Headline: Rodgers vows to make Vardy force to be reckoned with again: ID:352137: from db_amp
Jamie Vardy has scored just nine goals for Leicester this season.

Brendan Rodgers has vowed to improve Jamie Vardy and believes he again needs to become Leicester's main man.

The striker was a frustrated figure under former boss Claude Puel, admitting his tactics did not suit him.

The former England forward was also dropped by Puel on occasion, leading to a strained relationship, with Vardy apparently aiming a blast at the Frenchman when he was talking to Paul Pogba after a defeat to Manchester United.

But ahead of Sunday's trip to Watford, Rodgers is ready to put Vardy at the top of the Foxes' tree again.

"He is so natural at scoring," Rodgers said. "When I see the team we need to get players closer to him.

"The team has come deeper, the ball goes up to him and he's fighting on his own.

"Because of the title win and everything around the threat of Jamie, space is no longer there all the time, especially at home. So when teams are banked up you have to find a way and a method that still exploits his qualities.

"It was something I spoke to him about at length on Friday morning before training, where we could get him into areas and how we were going to play against teams that just sit deep."

Rodgers, who joined from Celtic on a three-and-a-half year deal on Tuesday, believes he will help develop nine-goal Vardy.

"I will certainly give him other ideas and just simplify the game," he said.

"But you saw the other night (against Brighton) what he is – pass, makes the run and gets his finish.

"Away at Chelsea he comes in, (James) Maddison plays the pass, he makes a little blindside run and finishes.

"The problem is sometimes the gaps are a little bit too big and it's just one long ball and he's fighting for it."

Luis Suarez scored 31 goals when Liverpool finished second in the Premier League under Rodgers in 2014, with the Northern Irishman keen to utilise Vardy in a similar way.

"You've got one of the best strikers who can press the game at the top end of the field so that's where it starts," he said.

"When I was at Liverpool it was Luis, he started the press so that's where it begins. If you look at Manchester City, Tottenham and Liverpool, you're not doing it for 90 minutes.

"Other times you're just in and setting up the press to go and exploit the spaces.

"My teams have always been dominant about having the ball but having the ball to create opportunities. That's always been the clear way of my work."

amp_article__352137 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-03-03 10:10:42:
html db last update - 2021-03-03 08:31:32 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Jamie Vardy

Click here for more stories about Leicester City

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Ipswich TownIpswich432611685533289
2Leicester CityLeicester422841079384188
3Leeds UnitedLeeds43269876344287
4Southampton42259884543084
5West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom4320121166422472
6Norwich CityNorwich432181476601671
7Hull City421811136254865
8Coventry CityCoventry4217121366521463
9Middlesbrough43189166156563
10Preston North EndPreston43189165660-463
11Cardiff CityCardiff43185204860-1259
12Bristol City431610175046458
13Sunderland43168195250256
14Swansea CitySwansea431411185362-953
15Watford431216155958152
16Millwall431311194255-1350
17Blackburn RoversBlackburn431310205771-1449
18Plymouth ArgylePlymouth431212195866-848
19Queens Park RangersQPR431211204057-1747
20Stoke CityStoke431211204160-1947
21Birmingham CityBirmingham43129224864-1645
22Huddersfield TownHuddersfield43917174770-2344
23Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds43128233667-3144
RRotherham UnitedRotherham43411283285-5323
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .