Leicester City had the transformational substitute and inspirational captain to lead their comeback victory over Southampton, the Saints’ former boss Harry Redknapp has said.
Abdul Fatawu and Jamie Vardy have both been included in Redknapp’s team of the weekend for their parts in City’s 3-2 victory at St Mary’s. Fatawu changed the game as a substitute, having a hand in all three goals, while Vardy slammed home the penalty that put City on level terms.
Picking Fatawu at right-back, the position he played during his half-hour appearance, Redknapp said in his BetVictor column: “Abdul Fatawu has to be in the team, talk about an impact sub! He came on and totally transformed the game. He was involved in just about everything Leicester did in that second half. The less said about that Southampton collapse the better though.”
Naming Vardy up front, the former Portsmouth and Tottenham boss said: “Big players step up in big moments and you don’t get many players better in the big moments than Jamie Vardy. That was such a massive win for Leicester, and you need characters like Vardy on the pitch to help to inspire comebacks like that. He was never missing that penalty in a million years. I’m such a big fan of him.”
While Vardy’s place in the starting line-up against Nottingham Forest is almost a certainty, there’s a bigger call for Steve Cooper to make over Fatawu. Playing him in the same role from the first whistle on Friday night may feel overly attacking, while fielding the Ghanaian on the wing would likely mean Stephy Mavididi is dropped so that Cooper’s system can remain in place.
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