Can Vardy replicate away form as Leicester face run of home matches?

Leeds 1-4 Leicester

• Goals: Stuart Dallas (£4.5m) | Harvey Barnes (£6.9m), Youri Tielemans x2 (£6.4m), Jamie Vardy (£10.0m)
• Assists: Jack Harrison (£5.5m) | Vardy x2, Cengiz Ünder (£5.9m), James Maddison (£7.0m)
• Bonus points: Tielemans x3, Vardy x2, H Barnes x1, Harrison x1

IT’S …………… JAMIE VARDY

Concluding Gameweek 7 in a Monday night outing, Jamie Vardy (£10.0m) reminded Fantasy Premier League managers of the setting in which he thrives best: away matches.

The veteran striker scored and registered two assists as Leicester exposed Leeds’ high defensive line at Elland Road and ran away 4-1 winners.

While the former England international had scored just nine points between Gameweeks 4 and 6, Gameweek 7’s closing act highlighted just how dangerous he can be, given the right setting.

Marcelo Bielsa is well-known for his risk-versus-reward system that features plenty of space behind his own defence, something with Vardy exploited with textbook ruthlessness.

With Harry Kane (£10.9m) and Spurs experiencing a turn of fixtures from Gameweek 9 onwards, Fantasy managers are already trying eye up potential replacements; Vardy is sure to be one.

However, Leicester’s own schedule may not be as catering to the player’s strengths as he might like.

His Monday night performance continued an incredible trend for Vardy, with every single one of his attacking returns coming away from home.

In the next six Gameweeks, Leicester turn out at the King Power Stadium four times, where their main man is yet to involve himself in a single league goal this season.

The matches he has played there so far in 2020/21 have hardly been tricky either. The Foxes scored four goals against Burnley, got thrashed 3-0 by West Ham, and laboured to a 1-0 defeat by Aston Villa, all with Vardy providing very little.

Clearly, opposition teams are more likely to sit deep and guard against Vardy’s pace when they are the visitors than if they were hosts. Wolves, Fulham, Brighton and Everton are the next four teams tasked with that responsibility.

WHAM BAM

It turns out Patrick Bamford (£6.0m) largely falls into the same category as Vardy in that he has proved more effective on the road this season.

Off the back of a Villa Park hat-trick, the Leeds forward earned over 500,000 new owners for Gameweek 7, rewarding them with his third successive blank at Elland Road. That ensured only 37% of his points have come at home this season, despite playing 57% of his games there.

However, unlike Vardy, Bamford’s home blanks have not been for the lack of trying. He was gifted two gilt-edge chances against Leicester, first set-up for a close-range header by Jack Harrison (£5.5m) before Luke Ayling (£4.5m) played him through the middle. In both cases the end-product let him down, the Leeds’ forward producing tame efforts that Kasper Schmeichel (£5.5m) was equal to each time.

Still, there is plenty of reasons for Bamford owners to be encouraged. Coming so close to more returns against Leicester, combined with an impressive away record (10.7 points per game), it bodes well that three of Leeds’ next four Premier League matches are on the road.

Leeds United XI (4-1-4-1): Meslier; Dallas (Alioski 81′), Cooper, Koch, Ayling; Klich; Harrison, Shackleton (Poveda-Ocampo 46′), Hernández (Roberts 67′), Costa; Bamford.

Leicester City XI (3-4-2-1): Schmeichel; Fuchs, Fofana, Justin; L Thomas, N Mendy, Tielemans, Albrighton; H Barnes (Ünder 71′), Praet (Maddison 63′); Vardy (Morgan 85′).

LESSONS LEARNED FROM FPL GAMEWEEK 7

• Wolves 2-0 Crystal Palace
• Sheffield United 0-1 Manchester City
• Burnley 0-3 Chelsea
• Liverpool 2-1 West Ham United
• Aston Villa 3-4 Southampton
• Newcastle United 2-1 Everton
• Manchester United 0-1 Arsenal
• Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Brighton and Hove Albion
• Fulham 2-0 West Bromwich Albion
• Leeds United 1-4 Leicester City