'Not a striker' - Leeds United's Gjanni Alioski makes assessment of Leicester City side missing Jamie Vardy
LEEDS United left back Gjanni Alioski says Sunday's hosts Leicester City "need" the absent Jamie Vardy but has warned of the depth of talent within the Foxes' ranks.
Leicester are facing around three weeks without last season's Premier League Golden Boot winner Vardy who has had minor surgery on a hernia issue.
In his absence, Ayoze Perez has started Leicester's last two games upfront and Alioski says that the 27-year-old is a good player but not a striker.
Alioski also hopes his side can cash in on spaces down the side of the pitch that he saw during Leicester's 1-1 draw at Everton on Wednesday night.
Yet United's North Macedonian international says that even without Vardy, toppling the Foxes will be no easy task.
Reflecting on what he thought to Leicester's display in Wednesday's draw at Goodison Park, Alioski reasoned: "I think the striker that played there is not a striker.
"He did movements, he was not bad, he is a quality player but I think with Vardy the team has more confidence.
"They know what they can do.
"Vardy maybe doesn't touch the ball for 20 or 30 minutes and you don't see him but then in one second, boom, he scores.
"He was very dangerous in the game against us and for me Vardy is one of the best strikers in the game.
"He is really dangerous to mark and I think Leicester need him really - this striker.
"He is really important for the team and for me he is the best man in Leicester and they need him.
"But this doesn't mean that they are bad.
"They are a good team, they have other players that play well there and they are good like a team.
"They were losing 1-0 at Everton but they also created chances and it is a team that don't give up as they are also strong."
With Vardy fit and starting, Leicester recorded a 4-1 victory at Elland Road back in November with Vardy on the scoresheet in addition to Harvey Barnes and Youri Tielemans who bagged a brace including a late penalty.
Asked if he felt there was anything Leeds could take advantage of second time around, Alioski said: "I think on the sides we can take advantage.
"They left space on the side where we can do something but you never know.
"Of course it is easy to say we have space but in the end you need to show it on the pitch.
"We need to go there with the confidence to try to play our game and with the movements that we do to open spaces that is needed and to try from the sides to open something.
"If it's not open of course we can go also in the middle but we need to try with the movements, to move, we need to move them and to create chances.
"They are a good team in the middle, they have good quality there so they are also not bad in the counter attack so we need to be careful on this."
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Thank you Laura Collins