Shinji Okazaki: Leicester City’s forgotten man?

Shinji Okazaki has been a mainstay in the Leicester City side since he joined the club in 2015, but could his position be under threat as Claude Puel takes the reins at the Foxes?

The Japanese international has been in and out of the team since Puel became Leicester manager, and even dropped the striker to include Demerai Gray for his first game in the 2-0 win against Everton.

Okazaki has proven how vital he is to this team on several occasions through his tireless style of play that embodied Leicester’s title winning season.

Shinji Okazaki’s importance to the team

Since Shinji Okazaki signed for Leicester City in the summer of 2015, he has been one of the first names on the teamsheet.

Claudio Ranieri found a perfect balance with the 31-year-old playing off of Jamie Vardy. Okazaki was full of energy, and while he wasn’t quite the goal threat some had expected, he certainly contributed to some vital moments.

Often substituted off after an hour because of the effort he put in closing down the opposition, pressing high and getting back in midfield to disrupt possession, Okazaki was key to Leicester’s rise.

Even last season under Claudio Ranieri and then Craig Shakespeare, when form was up or down, there was always one constant and that was Okazaki.

The striker’s role under Puel

Claude Puel has ushered in several new ideas since being named Shakespeare’s successor, and one of them is that Okazaki might not be as indispensable as once thought.

Since Puel’s appointment, Okazaki has played just 163 out of a possible 450 minutes as the French manager has preferred a different type of player behind Vardy.

Riyad Mahrez was initially preferred in the ‘number 10’ role, similar to what Hatem Ben Arfa played in Puel’s OGC Nice side.

Mahrez has since reverted to a more familiar wide right role, Gray on the left and Marc Albrighton in a central role to give the midfield more control.

Okazaki, however, was preferred in the 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur. We are yet to see whether Gray was rested due to the fixture congestion or not.Speaking before the win over Spurs, Puel said:

"“All players want to play. Not just Shinji.”“This is normal, and we will see if we can give players more opportunities. But we need to keep the whole squad in a positive attitude. This is the important thing”“I think starting players are picked based on their balance and their understanding with the rest of the team,” he explained."

While this sounds like good news for the striker, if Puel doesn’t think that Okazaki is a good fit for his side’s balance then he could find himself out of the squad more often than not. Okazaki has worked hard in previous years to become a goal threat, and Shakespeare that recently acknowledged. Speaking to the Leicester Mercury, he said:

"“We have encouraged him [Okazaki] to get into the box more. He is associated with hard work without the ball but as a forward we want him to contribute with goals as well.“We told him we didn’t just want him to contribute outside the box, but inside the box as well. He has made a conscious effort and got his rewards as well.”"

Okazaki had scored just eight goals in his first two years in English football, but this season, he already has four goals.

His Expected Goals numbers are up from previous years too, and in the early months of the season, he was in the top 15 for Expected Goals from open play.

What can Shinji Okazaki do now?

If Claude Puel wants to play a fifth midfielder rather than a second striker, it is going to be difficult for Okazaki to get back in the starting side.

At 31, he could accept a role off the bench but he would still have to compete with the likes of Kelechi Iheanacho and Islam Slimani for that role, and his game isn’t as effective as the others for the last 20-30 minutes of the game when Leicester City are drawing or are behind.

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His best bet would probably be convincing Puel that he is a better fit for the team’s balance than Mahrez or Albrighton in that spot behind Vardy.

Okazaki did that in the win over Spurs and could have another chance to do so in Saturday’s fixture against Burnley at the King Power Stadium.