Later this week, England manager Gareth Southgate is going to announce to the nation his squad list for the World Cup in Qatar, and one player who should absolutely have a seat on the plane is James Maddison.
The Leicester City man has been on fire for Brendan Rodgers’ side this term, even finding a way to shine when the team was struggling in the first few weeks. He has spoken about his determination to get himself into consideration for a recall to the Three Lions and those words have translated into magnificent performances on the pitch.
In his most recent outing, Maddison registered two assists in their 2-0 victory at Everton on Sunday. He set up Youri Tielemans’ goal-of-the-season contender in the first half before slipping the ball through to Harvey Barnes at the death as the winger wrapped up the three points for the Foxes.
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The creative midfielder has now been involved in 30 goals in the Premier League since the start of 2021-22, with 10 goal contributions this term already. He is scoring and creating goals while also helping dictate play in matches, something which England are crying out for.
The 25-year-old turned in some strong performances this year while his side were misfiring and has continued to be on song as his teammates have followed his lead to see an upturn in form. For years Jamie Vardy has been dubbed Leicester’s Fantastic Mr Fox but with the veteran forward having less of a starring role these days, the title has been very befitting of Maddison of late.
With judgement day fast-approaching for Southgate to select the players that will fly out for Qatar, the manager needs to stray from his traditional criteria of picking stars for international duty. The England boss loves to big-up the unity and the harmony within the group of England players he has repeatedly called upon over the last few international breaks, but now it is not the time for sentiments. It is the time for him to choose his greatest weapons as he looks to restore England to international glory.
Maddison has comfortably outperformed the likes of Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount, Jarrod Bowen and Jack Grealish in the Premier League this campaign. And his ingenuity with a ball at his feet is what should secure him a place at the World Cup without any doubt.
Southgate must select the players who can conjure up moments of magic from nothing. Someone who can impose themselves on the opposition and not be afraid to take risks on the ball whilst still oozing composure.
Maddison is your man in that regard. Some will try to argue that he lacks experience on this stage as he has only made one England appearance in his career; a cameo appearance against Montenegro in 2019. But rest assured Maddison is primed and ready to play a more glamorous role for his country on the biggest stage of them all.
Although Sterling has struggled to get into a rhythm at Chelsea, Southgate will still have faith in him as one of his most-trusted generals on the pitch. On current form that is a gamble but we know how reliable Sterling is when he happens to be wearing a Three Lions shirt. Maddison is also a gamble worth taking for Southgate. We know he doesn’t usually deploy a playmaker in the midfield, but a man of Maddison’s quality could be a great asset from the bench if a game, or system, needs changing.
With the squad list being increased by Fifa from 23 to 26 as a safeguard against Covid, Southgate has no excuse to keep freezing the Leicester talisman out of the England picture and should instead be warming him up for the biggest month of his career to date.
