Saturday 26 November 2016 20:32, UK
Leicester duo Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez need to 'rebuild their understanding' says former Foxes goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.
The Australian stopper was team-mates with the pair at the King Power Stadium as they won the Premier League title last season before being released by the club in the summer.
But his former side have not hit the same heights this season, and snatched a late 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough on Saturday afternoon with stars Vardy and Mahrez struggling for form.
Schwarzer believes the two need to reconnect for the results to show on the pitch as Leicester sit two points above the relegation zone.
"You've really got to try and work with these guys, especially Vardy and Mahrez," he told Sky Sports.
"Everyone's a confidence player but these guys are really all about confidence. [For] Vardy it's about hitting the back of the net, and Mahrez as well to a degree, but it's also about creating things.
"They need to rebuild that understanding between the two because at the moment, they're not communicating or interacting as well on the pitch as they have previously.
"It's important for Leicester going forward that those guys start to hit their stride sooner rather than later."
It has been a strange week for the Foxes as they qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday, but they are yet to bring the same form to the current Premier League campaign.
They travel to bottom-of-the-table Sunderland next week before their final European group game, with Bournemouth, Stoke and Everton also coming up in December.
"Leicester didn't play particularly well but they came twice from behind and showed character to, in the end, pick up a point," Schwarzer added.
"(Claudio) Ranieri will come away saying he is happy with the result but they need to build on it and get better and the next couple of weeks are vitally important for them.
"There's a lot of games between now and then [the Champions League last 16]. They're all big games and vitally important for them.
"They have to be looking at the next few fixtures and thinking that they need to pick up points and pull away from the bottom part of the table."
