Player Focus: Iheanacho Showing Plenty of Promise for City This Season

In Tottenham’s 2-1 win over Manchester City on Valentine’s Day, two substitutions affected the outcome of the game.

Spurs moved into the lead courtesy of a wrongly awarded penalty, which Harry Kane duly netted from before Erik Lamela came on before driving at the heart of the City defence, dragging four players out of position before playing in Christian Eriksen to slot past Joe Hart to seal the win. 

However, City were given a fighting chance of securing a positive result when Manuel Pellegrini threw Kelechi Iheanacho onto the field of play with 24 minutes remaining. Eight minutes after his introduction, the teenage striker drew City level with a powerful strike inside the Spurs 18-yard box. Spurs failed to adjust to the change in system in time, allowing Iheanacho to ghost into the penalty area to blast past Hugo Lloris. 

It was the Nigerian’s third Premier League goal of the season, all of which have come from the bench – no substitute has scored more. For a striker whose middle name is Promise, Iheanacho has shown plenty of that when handed the chance to do so this term. There is still plenty of time for the 19-year-old to hone his attacking qualities, but Manuel Pellegrini is managing his introduction to first team duties well.

On numerous occasions this season, a tie has swung back in City’s favour primarily because Iheanacho has been introduced. Take for example the 2-2 draw with West Ham earlier this month. With the Hammers in the lead and growing in confidence, City were struggling to break them down before Pellegrini called on Iheanacho for Fabian Delph with 14 minutes still to play. 

The energy and tenacity he brought to the final third saw West Ham retreat towards their goal as a means of stemming the attacking flow, which in turn increased the pressure on goalkeeper Adrian and the West Ham defence. Five minutes after he was brought into the fold, City were level through Sergio Aguero. The space Iheanacho created for the Argentine meant he was able to tuck away from close range to guarantee the Citizens a point. 

While he failed to have a direct hand in a goal in the game, Iheanacho’s directness and drive when in possession, not to mention his constant movement off the ball in a need to find space between the lines, is a real boost to Pellegrini and City when the going gets tough. Importantly, though, the young striker offers an alternate offensive threat to Wilfried Bony. Given Aguero is the club’s starting striker, it’s crucial that his backup provides a similar approach to the Argentina international if the Citizens are to maintain a familiar style of play. 

With Bony the temptation is to hit the ball long with the Ivorian holding up play in order to bring others into action. This direct approach, though, does not suit this City side, with Pellegrini favouring a style that brings out the best in his slight attacking players. Raheem Sterling, David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne, when the trio are fully fit, operate best with a striker making darting runs in behind the backline, rather than one who would wait for the ball played to his feet or in the air. 

As such, Iheanacho is a perhaps a more adequate backup to Aguero than Bony, given the former pairing’s comparative style of play. With Iheanacho hanging on the shoulder of the last defender, he’s clearly better at moving into goalscoring positions, with no substitute netting more clear-cut goalscoring opportunities (2) than the teenager. Either way, as a stand in or a partner for Aguero, the young frontman is quickly realising his potential for City. 

He has proven Pellegrini’s get out of jail free card twice this season, with his three goals gaining City four points so far this season, including late winners against Crystal Palace and Swansea City. The Chilean has indeed managed his development accordingly and with Pep Guardiola taking over the reins in the summer; one would expect the Spaniard to take Iheanacho’s game to the next level. 

It’s clear to see that the striker’s potential is encouraging. After a starring performance at the 2013 U-17 World Cup, City moved swiftly to secure the youngster’s services and they are being rewarded with the faith placed in Iheanacho. Indeed, the sky is the limit for the teenager and given his form in his sporadic outings so far this season, the club can be confident that Iheahacho will reach the standards expected of him under the incoming manager.

For the time being, with City still fighting on four fronts thanks to a considerable helping hand from the youngster in that regard, scoring six goals - including a hat-trick in the FA Cup against Aston Villa - there should be ample opportunity for Iheanacho to showcase his ability between now and the end of the season.

How far in the game do you think Iheanacho can go? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below