JAMIE VARDY HAS revealed the secret to his record-equalling goal haul, claiming he analyses the weaknesses of opposition defenders and maintains his fitness with regular cryotherapy treatment.
The Leicester City forward netted in his tenth consecutive Premier League fixture to equal Ruud van Nistelrooy’s long-standing record as his team thumped a woeful Newcastle United 3-0 at St James’ Park.
The league’s top scorer – with 13 goals this season - sat out last week’s international fixtures with a tight groin, with the ongoing injury requiring frequent conditioning.
Vardy praised the work of the club’s physios in managing his pain, and was delighted to play 77 minutes on Saturday.
The cryotherapy chamber is absolutely freezing but it helps you in your recovery, so fair play to the club for getting it,” he said.
“I was very close to not playing but the physios have been brilliant. I don’t think even some of the brainiest men in the world would understand the name of stuff they’ve been doing but they’ve been working constantly on me all week.”
The England forward, 28, believes his work with manager Claudio Ranieri on the training pitch is paying off.
“During the week we look at ways I can get into my best positions,” Vardy said.
“We concentrate on what the opposition defenders are like, if they’re going to come in for the tackle, and then we put it into practice on a Saturday. It’s obviously working.”
Italian Ranieri admits he has experienced a similar goalscoring feat during his lengthy managerial career but hoped Vardy will continue his historic purple patch.
“[Gabriel] Batistuta scored 11 goals in a row for me at Fiorentina,” the Leicester boss recalled.
“That’s the best run by any player I’ve managed. Hopefully Vardy can beat that. It’s amazing we’re mentioning Jamie in the same breath as Batistuta. It’s so strange when, four or five years ago, Jamie was playing non-league football.
“In my career I’ve known just one player who took the same route to the top.
“He was a Juventus right-back, Moreno Torricelli, who went from non-league Caratese to Serie A. And then he won the Scudetto with Juventus.”
Still well in it. Showing more fight than he usually does.