Where it has gone wrong for Patson Daka and why Brendan Rodgers may choose more painful solution

When the sole striker does not register a single shot and only manages one touch inside the opposition’s box, it’s clear something is not quite working. That was Patson Daka’s afternoon on Tyneside, and it reflected recent outings for the Leicester City forward.

Over the past couple of months, the narrative around the Zambian has swung from ‘perfect Jamie Vardy successor’ to ‘not good enough for the Premier League’. That’s what a 10-game goal drought can do to a striker.

But the truth is Daka is somewhere between those two extreme assessments, and actually, probably closer to the former. Because his recent lack of influence is not his problem, but one for Brendan Rodgers to solve.

When the £23m signing played up front early in the season, he either played in a two-man strikeforce, or with a number 10 behind him. His record in that system is terrific, with nine goals scored at a rate of one every 108 minutes. Since Rodgers switched formations to one with two number eights, meaning that when Daka plays he is leading the line solo without much close support, he has scored one goal in 542 minutes.

And this is not just a recent poor finishing spell, he’s having fewer chances. When playing up front in a two, or with a number 10 behind him, he has registered one shot every 29 minutes. With number eights, it’s one every 42 minutes.

It is not a surprise that the closest he has come to scoring recently was away at PSV, when he played up front with Kelechi Iheanacho, and then had James Maddison in the pocket behind him. Because when the support is there, Daka can focus on making the runs in behind and picking up positions in the box. That’s what he’s good at and has proven so already.

When the support is not there, it’s part of