Tag Archives: James Maddison

Iheanacho and Maddison have become the main players at Leicester City this season

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Leicester City are the club that are simply here to stay and try and improve themselves by each passing season. Forget the incredible 2016 league title that no one saw coming. As amazing as it was the Foxes have always had a longer agenda which is not only to climb to the top of the mountain but to try and stay there too. This season is proving that Brendan Rodgers side have no plans of a descent.

Leicester are 3rd in the Premier League and hoping to qualify for the Champions League but they have also reached the final of the FA Cup. Now this is significant given that they are 90 minutes away from winning a trophy. The Foxes will face Chelsea one of the best in form sides in Europe but still there is a chance if they are able to click on the day. Leicester have never won the FA Cup and this will be their first final since 1969.

But there are a few players that have really driven the side this season. Jamie Vardy as ever will always get mentioned first, he is a bona fide Leicester legend and will certainly leave his mark on Premier League history when he retires. Vardy started the season in brilliant form but it has to be said that the striker has faded in the second half of the season. He is all about scoring goals and he hasn’t scored since February 13th when Leicester beat Liverpool 3-1. Indeed that has been his only league goal for the club this year so far.

Is club legend Vardy starting to struggle? it seems so but then again it would be wrong to write him off. Because of his fantastic start he is still ranked as the best fantasy player to have for the Foxes and has 65 points- that’s 9 more than the second best player and let’s remember that Vardy has still scored 13 goals and made 7 assists, far from a poor season, but certainly a poor run at this time.

So if Vardy is the captain of the ship who has been steering Leicester into elite waters? This seems mostly to have fallen upon two players. The first is James Maddison who has scored some very important goals this season and has played with total dedication in midfield. Maddison has earned 56 points and has probably scored the goals that Vardy should have been cleaning up with in previous seasons. He has assisted in 8 goals and been involved in 14 in total.

The real revelation though has been Kelechi Iheanacho. Here is a player that has promised much in the past but hasn’t always consistency delivered. The striker though seems to have picked up fantastic form the moment Vardy lost his and has been key to Leicester’s successes this season and still holding a top 4 position as we come to the end of April.

Iheanacho has scored 8 goals, though because it was one game after another it seems that he has scored double that. He has been a saving grace in many ways for the Foxes and one has to wonder if Leicester would have stayed the course without these two players performing to the level they have done so with Vardy’s drop of form?

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Premier League Game of the Week: Leicester 1-3 Leeds United

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One could have expected Leicester to have roared on in their surprise quest for a 2nd Premier League title in 5 years, after all the Foxes have done so well this season and came into this game having won 12 of their 20 so far. But Leeds United are the team that keep on asking questions after the school bell has sounded. The team that keep pressing when you feel lethargic and the team that are here to stay in the Premier League.

Former Leeds great Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink noted a month ago that he felt his former side would be relegated this season and one has to wonder how wrong can a player turned media pundit have been? Yes you may argue that hindsight is a wonderful thing, though when he claimed this Leeds had 23 points and we were not even at the half way stage of the season- unless Leeds were about to record the mother of all collapses there was next to no chance that Marcelo Bielsa’s team were going down this season. One almost feels that Leeds heard the words of their former player and are partly playing on a level just to prove him wrong.

That was the case in keeping as Leeds surprised Leicester at King Power Stadium by coming away with a 3-1 victory. By far the man of the match was the ultra talented Patrick Bamford. He scored one and assisted in the other two.

But it would be the home side who would take the lead through the impressive Harvey Barnes his precision shot was set up by James Maddison and Leicester looked well on their way to victory. However in the 15th minute and only three minutes after the Foxes took the lead Leeds were level. A great counter attacking move was finished off sweetly by Stuart Dallas who scored his 4th goal of the season. Indeed the equaliser had many similarities to Leicester’s opener.

The half ended 1-1 at no one could complain we had seen a fast paced and equal game and the score seemed to fit the duel we were watching.

Both sides came close in the 2nd half but the third goal of the game had to wait until the 70th minute. Raphinha set the ball up but this was all Bamford’s doing and he scored a peach of a goal, perhaps the best of the weekend to put Leeds into the lead. It didn’t feel like a surprise to see Marcelo Bielsa’s side take the lead but before the game Leicester were the favourites.

Perhaps the Foxes were missing Jamie Vardy and Ndidi two huge players for the club of course and Vardy had to miss the game because of his recent hernia operation although he hopes to be back this weekend.

As time ran out so did Leicester’s ideas and they were caught on the break- Leeds are one of the best sides in the Premier League for quick counter attacking- and Jack Harrison made it 3-1 after being set up by Bamford.

It was a fantastic win for Leeds who are now in 12th place with 29 points. They are at home to Everton next in midweek. As for Leicester they are still 4th and have 39 points and have a 4 point safety cushion to 5th. But manager Brendan Rodgers will be counting down the days until Vardy returns. Leicester’s next game is against Fulham at Craven Cottage.

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Premier League Game of the Week: Leicester 2-2 Manchester United

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For entertainment you can go to Las Vegas but at the weekend the King Power Stadium would run the city of sin very close. Leicester and Manchester United shared the points and the goals in a game blessed by attacking football which eventually ended 2-2.

For Manchester United their incredible away start to the season ended where they had won their previous six games in a row. United had taken the lead twice in the game only to be pegged back. But on the face of it getting a draw away to Leicester shouldn’t be seen as a bad result but United would have left the game thinking that they had just lose 2 points and gained one.

It was a game borne out of brilliant skill and a swashbuckling never say die attitude and it felt like a very English game of football. There were only 10 goal attempts overall, 5 for each side, so we have seen better games in that respect this season but this was still an intriguing duel that you couldn’t keep your eyes off of.

A cross into the area started the scoring, and a quite brilliant assist from Bruno Fernandes getting his toe to the ball which caught out Leicester’s defenders and pinged it to an unmarked Marcus Rashford set the striker up for an easy opportunity that he wasn’t going to miss and United led the game.

Manchester United’s lead would only last eight minutes though as Harvey Barnes expose De Gea in goal and lashed a beautiful shot thundering into the net from the edge of the area.

In the second half Antony Martial’s goal was ruled offside by VAR and then everything changed once Edinson Cavani was introduced in the 75th minute. It took the attacker just four minutes to set up United’s 2nd goal after his assist to Fernandes who scored his 10th goal of the season. But soon after it was 2-2 as Jamie Vardy came to the rescue and scored a rather simple goal that De Gea and United’s defence must have been concerned about.

In the end whilst United held the technical skill cards Leicester had the back bone not to give up and a draw seemed like a fair result.

These two teams, for some will be the pretenders to Liverpool’s title this season but both have shown they have a lot of quality and are able to put points and wins together. It would be no surprise this season if both clubs finished in the top 4.

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Premier League: Best 11 Players from Week 12

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Nothing much changed at the top of the Premier League as the best performing teams dropped points. Tottenham and Liverpool could only draw their respective games and Chelsea lost their first match in 3 months as they lost 1-0 at Everton.

There were wins for West Ham, Southampton and Leicester and those three clubs put pressure on the top 3. The much hyped Manchester derby was quite a dire affair that ended 0-0 and the pressure has grown on Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta who saw his club lose their 4th game at home in a row, Arsenal are in 15th position.

Let’s take a look below at the best performing players over the weekend.

Goalkeeper: Nick Pope- Burnley 7pts

Nick Pope gets the vote ahead of other goalkeepers that kept a clean sheet as Burnley were never expected to get a win and a clean sheet at Arsenal. Pope made some good saves and had to be alert as Burnley were under a lot of pressure and Arsenal had six shots on target. Pope now has 14 points overall.

Defender: Jan Bednarek- Southampton 7pts

Jan Bednarek earned 7 points at the weekend as Southampton beat Sheffield United 3-0. Not only did Bednarek keep a clean sheet, which is his 5th of the season but he also assisted in the Saints first goal which set their victory up.

Defender: Jannick Vestergaard-Southampton 5pts

Jannick Vestergaard is having a great season for Southampton and he commanded the defence and back four with a veterans touch. He made some good interceptions and was always seconds ahead as Southampton beat Sheffield United 3-0. The defender’s value is 6m.

Defender: Michael Keane-Everton 5pts

It’s never easy shutting out Chelsea and Michael Keane was part of an Everton defence that showed resilience against the Blues who had not tasted defeat in 3 months. Keane was inch perfect and his timing was spot on. He now has 10 points for the season which is the most of any Everton defender and he can be added to your team for 6.5m.

Defender: Yerry Mina- Everton 5pts

Yerry Mina is looking more solid as a player under Carlo Ancelotti and he had an eventful game getting into the thick of things as Everton saw out a 1-0 victory over Chelsea. Mina has helped to keep 2 clean sheets at the back for Everton so far this season.

Midfielder: James Maddison- Leicester 10pts

James Maddison not only helped out in defence with his run backs but he also scored 2 goals, Leicester’s 1st and 3rd as they beat Brighton 3-0 at home. Maddison has really showed his quality again this season and the midfielder has scored 3 goals and been involved in 4 so far for the Foxes.

Midfielder: Stuart Armstrong- Southampton 6pts

Stuart Armstrong now has 22 points overall and capped another splendid weekend as Southampton beat Sheffield United 3-0. Armstrong scored the 2nd goal which set up the club for all three points and they have started the season very strong as they look to finish in a European position.

Midfielder: Nathan Redmond- Southampton 6pts

Nathan Redmond was commanding in midfield and he scored his first goal of the season as his club overpowered Sheffield United 3-0. Redmond now has 12 points overall and is valued at 7m.

Midfielder: Mateusz Klich- Leeds United 4pts

Leeds lost against West Ham 2-1 on Friday but Mateusz Klich is proving to be one of the Leeds’ best players this season. He scored the penalty for Leeds goal and put in a very good and energetic performance. The midfielder now has 23 points and is valued at 6.5m.

Striker: Jamie Vardy-Leicester 8pts

Jamie Vardy is here once again and the striker assisted in goals and scored one at the weekend as Leicester beat Brighton 3-0 and he earned 8 points in the process. This season is turning out to be a good one for both him and club and Vardy now has 10 goals to his name.

Striker: Dwight Gayle- Newcastle 4pts

There were a few strikers who made it to 4 points but Dwight Gayle saved his club with just 8 minutes to go and won the game for them as Newcastle beat West Bromwich Albion 2-1. Gayle was also returning from injury and what a way to get back on track. Gayle’s value is just 5m.

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Premier League’s Game of the Week: Manchester City 2-5 Leicester City

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If any of Manchester City and Leicester were going to win 5-2 then 99% of the chance it would be Manchester City, at the weekend we saw the rule to that exception.

In a stunning result Leicester who have started the season in style put 5 goals past Pep Guardiola’s City side, champions in two out of the last 3 seasons as they sailed to a stunning 5-2 victory at the Etihad.

And no one could have seen it coming. In City’s first game of the season they made light work of Wolves beating them 3-1. Whilst Leicester had started well they were knocked out of the Carabao Cup in midweek against Arsenal, though Brendan Rodgers was able to leave a few regulars out.

As for the game it looked over almost as soon as it had started as Riyad Mahrez the former Leicester player, who else? gave City the lead. This was now going to go to script surely and City were supposed to wipe the floor with the unbeaten Leicester, but that didn’t happen.

Leicester made their presence felt and James Maddison was all over the pitch, there was a sense that this game wasn’t all going to be about City. Then before half time Leicester were awarded a penalty and Jamie Vardy scored his 3rd goal of the season. The half ended 1-1, and still even with 45 minutes gone nobody could have predicted the outcome.

It was early in the second half that the change happened. Vardy scored again a brilliant flick that put the Foxes in the lead, and then just five minutes later it was another penalty, again for Leicester and in the space of 21 minutes Vardy- the top goalscorer last season had completed his hat trick.

At 3-1 the game wasn’t over and yet it felt it like the home side despite their quality had been winded. The game rolled on and City tried but the minutes ticked away and then the brilliant James Maddison smashed a long range shot right into the back of the net, it was 4-1, the game was over for City, but the game wasn’t over.

New signing for Guardiola’s team Nathan Ake got a goal back to make it 4-2 near the end, could there have possibly been a crazy comeback? In the Premier League you can really never say never but that wasn’t happening today.

A third penalty confirmed that when Youri Tielemans converted, the score was now 5-2. It was an incredible result and even though there were 3 penalties there was nothing controversial about the decisions, no one complained everyone accepted even Guardiola had to, his team had been well and truly beaten and he was right to be annoyed with his defenders after the game, basic errors at this level left viewers stunned.

With the win Leicester the 2016 champions are top of the league once more, they have scored an incredible 12 goals. For City this feels like deja vue in that they started slow last season and dropped too many points as their rivals Liverpool started strongly, the gap is already six points between City and the champions.

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Should Manchester United pursue Jack Grealish or James Maddison in the summer?

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With the January transfer window ending, some Premier League clubs will feel better than others in terms of the business they have concluded ready for the second-half of the season.

Manchester United have had a difficult past few months, but the acquisition of highly-rated midfielder Bruno Fernandes should appease fans somewhat. While they do not want to put too much pressure on the Portugal international, he is a player that can fill a variety of roles in midfield that has been sorely lacking.

Whether Fernandes is used as a tenacious box-to-box midfielder, or as a number 10 sitting in behind the centre forward, he has shown quality and determination wherever he is placed.

The question of heart and passion has been a sticking point for United’s fans in recent years when it came to new players, but Fernandes has that mentality in abundance, and appears to be a player ready to run through brick walls to wear the club jersey.

And while the fans are enthused by the prospect of Fernandes, they also know how much more business is needed to be done if the Red Devils are to amount to anything next season. One of those positions is an out-and-out attacking playmaker.

Two players that have come to the forefront of United’s shopping list are: Jack Grealish of Aston Villa, and James Maddison of Leicester City.

Both have been used out wide, as a 10, as an eight and sometimes even deeper in a midfield pivot. Similarly to Fernandes, they come with great pedigree of finding the back of the net as well as the final through ball for the centre forward.

It is arguable that this season, Grealish has been the player to watch. Every time he receives the ball, the opposition defence is quaking in their boots, not knowing in which way he is going to go next. The Villains captain has a certain X-Factor about him that is unparalleled to most players in the Premier League – as well as now the responsibility of leading his team.

Maddison, on the other hand, has consistently been improving with every game. Having risen up through the ranks at Coventry City, the fully-fledged England international has taken his game to a level where fees of nearly £100 million are being talked about.

Both players are likely to be extraordinary expensive, coupled up with the fact that they are British, but are also coming into the primes of their careers and have Premier League exposure. Not only the experience of playing in the division, but excelling.

Grealish provides perhaps more of the X-Factor on a weekly basis, whereas Maddison has a sense of reliability on the pitch with his performances never dipping to a sub-standard rate.

It will be a hard task on both accounts as to negotiating with Aston Villa and Leicester City, and the club, and fans, would be happy with either, knowing they have the tight qualities to influence the final third.

Above all, Manchester United need an out-and-out number 10 and will making in their priority come the summer.

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Jamie Vardy has ensured his legend status at Leicester City after Arsenal are beaten

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At the time of writing Leicester are sitting in 2nd place in the Premier League and there are now genuine memories, hopes and wishes of what the club did in season 2015/16 and that is winning the Premier League. The clubs win over Arsenal by 2-0 just reinforced that fact that the Foxes are back.

Leading that title chase is Jamie Vardy. The striker breathes and bleeds Leicester and has been a constant within the teams most successful era of their history, simply put he installs belief, the will to win and most importantly he just keeps on scoring goals.

Vardy opened the game up against Arsenal with just 15 minutes left to play in a match that was terrifically entertaining and end to end stuff but ultimately one that looked like Brendan Rodgers side would end up dropping 2 points at home. It was headed for 0-0 until Vardy’s great goal which crushed Arsenal and then Leicester went onto score a 2nd moments later through the impressive James Maddison.

Vardy’s rise to top goalscorer in the Premier League has been stunning given that he was playing non-league football at the beginning of this decade with Halifax Town. But he is Leicester through and through. He has 11 goals already this season from 12 games and is on course to beat his best Premier League total of 24 goals when the Foxes won the league.

At the weekend he scored his 111th goal for the club in the league and there looks like no signs of the player slowing down. What is remarkable is that his career in the top flight did not kick off until he was 28 and it would felt to him that his football career had simply passed him by. He is an exception to the rule that you can still make it at the very top. One can count on your hand the amount of players that have risen from the ashes to perform well when they have gotten older, Ian Wright would be one of those players too.

Perhaps the British media have given the striker scant praise over the years, and it’s true that he isn’t the most prolific striker in England or Europe for that matter. But he does score goals, and does get himself in the right places in the area- he’s simply always there and always a threat.

Vardy is 32 but at this rate he has another 2-3 seasons with Leicester to keep on proving how important he has been at the club. Surely whatever happens now he has his foothold in the history of the club and also a staute will be awaiting him at King Power Stadium. How long can Leicester keep pushing Liverpool and Manchester City is anyone’s guess.

They remain the league’s outsiders and you get the feeling that Vardy and Leicester will love it that way.

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James Maddison would be the perfect addition for Liverpool

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Last summer, Liverpool seemed determined to find a replacement for Philippe Coutinho. The sale of the Brazilian playmaker in the January transfer window had left a hole in Jurgen Klopp’s squad. And so Nabil Fekir was the man identified as the ideal successor to Coutinho.

Of course, we all know how Fekir’s move to Anfield fell through due to a failed medical, with the French international now at Real Betis rather than Merseyside. 12 months have now passed and Liverpool still don’t have a player to replace Coutinho, to play in the way the Brazilian playmaker did.

Klopp would argue, with some justification, that his team doesn’t need a Coutinho replacement. The Reds have after all made back-to-back Champions League finals without the Brazilian, pushing Manchester City all the way in last season’s Premier League title race. Never before had a team collected 97 points and not won the title.

Indeed, selling Coutinho allowed Liverpool to fully lean into the methods of Klopp. They became an even starker reflection of the German coach. And yet there’s still a feeling that they could use a central attacking midfielder to give them another dimension, a player to unpick stubborn low defensive blocks.

James Maddison is starting to look like that player. The 22-year-old has enjoyed an excellent start to the season for Leicester City, shining especially brightly in the Foxes’ 1-1 away draw with Chelsea. The new season has only just started, but Maddison already looks like the next homegrown talent to spark a Premier League bidding war.

Should he continue in this vain of form Maddison will draw much interest in January or next summer when the transfer window is open again. Manchester United, for one, could use a player like the 22-year-old. Arsenal, Chelsea and even Manchester City would all be good fits for Maddison. He could play for essentially any top team in the Premier League, he’s that good.

But Liverpool should be at the front of the queue. The Merseyside club have shown in the recent past that they are willing to break the bank for the right player (see Alisson Becker and Virgil Van Dijk) and Maddison would be the right player for them, filling a hole in their current squad. The transfer window has only just closed, but Liverpool should be thinking about a move already.

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Big season ahead for Leicester’s James Maddison

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Leicester City’s James Maddison has a very, very bright future ahead of him.

Now 22, Maddison has a season of Premier League experience under his belt at the King Power Stadium and will be looking to build on that with Brendan Rodgers’ guidance in the next couple of years.

Maddison joined Leicester City last July from Norwich City for around €25 million. The creative midfielder had impressed at Carrow Road in the Championship and Leicester’s then-manager Claude Puel felt Maddison was ready for the step up to English football’s top tier. Continue reading →

Southgate opts for potential and talent over form, and that can only be a positive for England

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Gareth Southgate’s new contract keeping him as England manager until 2022 was announced on Thursday. In the same press conference, Southgate named his 25-man England squad for the upcoming Nations League matches against Spain and Croatia.

In keeping with all of his tenure to date, Southgate backed the youngsters. Jadon Sancho, James Maddison and Mason Mount were all selected, with Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard out injured.

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