What stood out in Kelechi Iheanacho’s Community Shield cameo?

There had to be a sense of disappointment when Kelechi Iheanacho saw Brendan Rodgers’ XI for Leicester City's Community Shield encounter with Manchester City and he wasn’t in it. 

After his performances in the New Year, which more or less kept Leicester in the Champions League run-in, he’d been omitted from English football’s curtain-raiser. Rodgers opted to go with ex-England forward Jamie Vardy up top, with usual regulars Harvey Barnes and James Maddison returning after making full recoveries over the summer.

Despite this, Iheanacho made the game’s telling impact off the bench to score a late penalty as the less fancied Foxes beat the defending Premier League champions 1-0 at Wembley Stadium. 

“Disappointed not to start? Not really. We have a great squad and anybody that the manager puts in will deliver. We need everybody to get through the season so I'm not disappointed,” Iheanacho stated after the game. “I'm just happy for the team whether I start or not. I just know one thing, if I come in then I have to make an impact and help my team. That's what I did today.” 

A second Community Shield win in their history and a first since 1971 was gratifying and recent successes at the Home of Football after long waits bode well for the club’s future. 

“There was a great feeling coming here today," Rodgers remarked on BBC Radio. “Every Leicester player, fan, staff member coming here, it was a really special feeling.

“We wanted to take that into the game and keep that feeling going, and thankfully we've done that.” 

Even though he played only 11 minutes against his old side, there are a few interesting narratives to draw out following his match-winning cameo. 

This question was asked when he hit impressive goalscoring numbers in the second half of last season but does his impact in only 11 minutes and Vardy’s underwhelming finishing — a general theme in 2020/21 — demonstrate Iheanacho’s importance at the King Power Stadium?

The Super Eagle outscored Vardy in all competitions last year — ending the Leicester legend’s five-year streak — and could be on course for a repeat.

Having said that, one game isn’t enough to conclude…but the next few months will be particularly interesting at the East Midlands club. 

Yes. By scoring the 89th-minute penalty against his old side, Iheanacho became the first player since Liverpool’s Gary McAllister in 2001 to score a Community Shield penalty in open play. The Leicester frontman ended the 20-year wait since the ex-Reds midfielder scored a second-minute spot-kick against Manchester United, a match the Merseyside club won 2-1. 

This seems a simplistic point, but the forward’s harrying of Nathan Ake in the final moments of the game at Wembley saw an Iheanacho gamble pay off.

Of course, he could have given the Dutch defender time on the ball with an expectation of penalties on his mind; rather, he took a chance and was rewarded with Paul Tierney’s decision to correctly award the spot-kick. 

"I think it's a penalty," Iheanacho clarified to ITV after the final whistle. "[Ake] caught me. The referee saw it, but he wanted us to play on, so if we scored it would have been okay.” 

The West African forward wasn’t one of the side’s top pressers last season — ranking eighth for pressures per 90 among 17 players who averaged 10 games or higher — further showing how a player with unremarkable pressing numbers had the presence of mind to try to force an error at the death when the easier action would have been to prepare for penalties. 

Indeed, Seniorman Kelechi deserves all the acclaim coming his way!

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Seye Omidiora is a passionate football writer and pundit whose deep appreciation for the beautiful game exceeds the usual. He is currently a columnist for Goal Africa and has previously written for Vital Football UK, IBCity Info and Opera News.

Follow him on Twitter @theReal_SeyE

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