Despite Leicester’s disastrous start to the season, James Maddison has recently been the subject of a lot of recall talk for England. The 25-year-performance old’s in the most recent 4-0 victory over Nottingham Forest demonstrated exactly what he can do on his best days, but with England manager Gareth Southgate watching Saturday’s match between Crystal Palace and Leicester City from the stands, he might have failed his final exam.
Leicester needed to win the game after going nine games without a victory, but they were held to a 0-0 draw by frazzled nerves. As always, Maddison showed flashes of class, but he was unable to lead his team to a second victory this year as he did in their first. He won’t play Thursday against Leeds because of caution for a simulation in stoppage time, but he will play before Southgate picks his tentative World Cup selection.
Given how poorly the Foxes have performed, five goals and two assists in nine Premier League games is an outstanding performance. After the game, his manager Brendan Rodgers expressed his hope that Southgate will take his overall form into account. I think he had a good game, I thought he was incredibly inventive, Rodgers said. He is a player for the squad who is out of position. He is one of the league’s most gifted and inventive players. He excels at this level as a player. Sadly, he is definitely seeking the penalty at the end.
It needs a strong character to consistently get on the ball, hunt, and create things, according to coach Peter Crouch. Maddison is not playing it safe; instead, he is attempting to play through the lines and make progressive passes, which requires much skill.
Although he can play in a midfield trio, Mason Mount and Jude Bellingham are set to start against Iran in the first group game. Jack Grealish and Jarrod Bowen are also ahead of him in the pecking order. There is no denying Maddison’s talent, but given that he has only earned one England cap, which came three years ago, it is tough to see how he will force his way in after a challenging day and with no additional chances to shine.
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