Michael Owen has said Jamie Vardy is a “lucky” striker and not a “natural” finisher.
The former Liverpool and Manchester United striker made the claim on BT Sport’s coverage of Leicester City’s game away to FC Copenhagen in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
The match ended goalless, meaning Vardy has now gone 11 games without scoring this season, a stark contrast with his form last year.
Vardy scored 24 goals last season as the Foxes went from favourites for relegation to Premier League champions.
Five of those goals were penalties, but otherwise you would imagine finding the back of the net so many times, propelling his team to the title, would have been enough to prove his credentials as a “natural” finisher.
However, Owen isn’t convinced by Vardy, and claims he’s a “lucky” striker who “goes for power a lot.”
(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
“Even when he was scoring loads of goals last season he wasn’t convincing me as a natural finisher,” Owen said.
“But then again Alan Shearer used a lot of brute force and power. He was a different type. Not everyone finishes the same way.
“Look at (Mesut) Ozil from last night (his goal against Ludogorets). He was so cool, calm and collected but others go for pure power.”
“Vardy does contribute to the team with his running into the channels and his closing down. But he’s in the team to score goals and we’ve seen a contrast from last season.
“He’s the type of centre forward or type of finisher that is very much head down and hit it. He goes for power a lot. He’s not necessarily a real cute, classy type of finisher.
“He doesn’t once lift his head. He almost hits it through goalkeepers. To be a finisher like that you need a lot of luck – sometimes you’ll have it, sometimes you won’t.
“This season it’s been very different. He goes for power a lot of the time. Last year he was having a little bit of luck and would sometimes almost go through goalkeepers.
“When you are a power finisher and go for that over accuracy then you have to accept that sometimes your luck’s in and sometimes it’s out.”
Owen was a great striker for most of his career, who scored 222 goals in 482 games, but is his analysis of Vardy a little harsh?
(Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
Not all the Leicester striker’s goals last season were hit and hope efforts. He scored a brace against Arsenal last September with two precise, clever finishes. He scored with a powerful, sharp finish against Newcastle United last November, and another composed finish against West Brom.
Very few, if any, of his goals last season could be classified as “lucky” and arguably only the goal against Manchester United could be regarded as going “through the goalkeeper.”
The problem with Owen’s analysis is also that he doesn’t specify exactly what qualities a “natural” finisher possesses.
Vardy’s conversion rate from last season match-up with Harry Kane and Sergio Aguero, two players, especially the Manchester City striker, most would consider to be “natural” finishers.
