Off-colour Vardy will not affect Leicester's title charge: Ranieri

Having taken the English Premier League (EPL) by storm with his goal scoring exploits, Jamie Vardy has hit a dry patch of late, but Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri is confident that his team's title charge will not be affected.

Vardy has scored 19 goals this seaon and occupied the top spot in the scoring charts for several weeks. But the striker has not scored in his last six games for the Leicester and he has only netted four times for the EPL leaders since mid-December.

His only strikes last month came for England against Germany and Holland and he has only netted four times for the Barclays Premier League leaders since mid-December.

"Jamie in the last two or three matches he didn't score but made the final pass. I look always at the performance, if everybody links together and if everybody fights together. If everybody helps each other, that is my performance. After the goal, it's okay. If you imagine, Wes Morgan scored the goal (against Southampton)," Ranieri was quoted as saying by the Independent on Sunday.

"It's not important. Every time I talk to the strikers, it's not important if they score. Of course it's their job to score a goal."

Leicester currently sit at the top of the EPL standings with 69 points from 32 matches, seven points ahead of second placed Tottenham Hotspur. Despite Vardy's poor form in front of goal, Leicester have won their last four games 1-0 and Ranieri insisted the points are more important than any player's personal tally.

"It's not important who scores a goal. With (Danny) Simpson, no, last week he was so close? And I said to him 'don't worry, it will arrive next (week)'. It's not important who scores a goal. It's important that Leicester win the match," the 64-year-old Italian asserted.