Newcastle United vs Leicester City: Jamie Vardy steps out of freezer for perfect 10

Vardy equalled Ruud van Nistlerooy's Premier League record of scoring in 10 straight matches

Martin Hardy
Monday 23 November 2015 02:17 GMT
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Jamie Vardy celebrates at Newcastle after scoring in a recordequalling 1oth successive Premier League game
Jamie Vardy celebrates at Newcastle after scoring in a recordequalling 1oth successive Premier League game

The desire for Jamie Vardy to make history was such that he spent most of last week in a cryotherapy chamber. It did, as he admitted, prove the ideal preparation for a bitter day in the North-east – bitter at least for those from that region.

It did not matter to Vardy, whose rise from non-league football reached a dramatic height in the 3-0 win at St James’ Park. The cold, never mind Newcastle United’s leaden-footed defenders, could not catch the lightning legs of the Leicester City forward. That he was not even fully fit, withdrawn with 15 minutes to go, put his superiority to anything Newcastle had to offer into greater perspective.

There had been two saving tackles in the first half to prevent him equalling Ruud van Nistelrooy’s 12-year-old record of scoring in 10 successive Premier League games. But that moment to treasure was merely postponed.

When the chance came, in first-half injury time, Vardy took it, drilling a shot into the bottom corner of the overworked Rob Elliot’s goal.

In the second half Vardy smashed a shot off the crossbar. When City broke with such numbers, pace and penetration that Newcastle’s support could hardly watch, only a slight overrunning of the ball prevented another goal.

Vardy still had his magical 10 on the trot, but it so nearly did not happen. “I was very close to not playing,” he admitted. “I’ve got to give all the credit to the physios. They’ve just been constantly working on me and giving me the rest when it’s needed. Then it’s back to work on it, it’s as simple as that.

“Then there’s the cryotherapy chamber, which is absolutely freezing, but it helps you in your recovery, so fair play to the club for getting that in.”

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Five years ago Vardy, now 28, was with Stocksbridge Park Steels of the Northern Premier League. The kind of desire Newcastle have forgotten to buy in recent years dripped from his performance, as it did from those around him as Leicester went to the top of the Premier League table.

“It’s just another three points towards 40,” he added. “The chance of getting the record next week against Manchester United? Just as I have been every single other week, I’ll be getting on that training field, looking at ways where I can possibly hurt their defence and get through on goal and, hopefully, once it’s game time I’ll be able to put that into practice.”

Claudio Ranieri, the Leicester manager, was asked to rank Vardy and his achievement among those the Italian has overseen in a 30-year career.

“It is not possible to say who is the greatest,” he said. “[Gabriel] Batistuta scored 11 goals in a row for me [at Fiorentina], and that is the best run by any player I have managed. Hopefully, Vardy can achieve and beat this. It is amazing we are mentioning him in the same breath. So strange when four or five years ago he was playing non-league.

“I watched a lot of videos from last season and was impressed how much he pressed a lot. Whether he scores or not, it is so important for me to have players who work as hard as that.”

Newcastle don’t. It really is that simple. The defeat and performance provoked the St James’ Park crowd to the most vociferous they have been this season in berating their own players and club. Manager Steve McClaren knows that the 24 league defeats at St James’ Park in the three seasons before he arrived were not of his doing but they have dried up any patience.

“I thought we looked fragile out there and that is something that can only be solved from within, both within each individual and within the dressing room as a whole,” he said. “I would not say it was a shock. We have always known what the job is and it is a tough one. We know we are going to have bad days and this was certainly one of them.”

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