Leicester City: Will James Maddison find form or is his head turned?

A growing concern for Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers is the underwhelming string of performances of James Maddison. Will he find his form anytime soon?

If you have been watching City’s games regularly, then you would have witnessed how minimal of a threat James Maddison has become recently. Comparing Maddison against his former self seems like a visage of what was. Since his return from the hip injury, he did not manage to grab the promised brass rings that we all assumed he would.

The English midfielder has failed to register a goal or an assist in his 14 games since returning. From constantly being unable to create chances to not doing much with the ball at his feet, the elephant in the room needs addressing. Does the player have what it takes to weave impactful performances regularly?

Defending the player by blaming the recurrence of his hip problem hides the writing on the wall. We cannot live in denial. The underwhelming performances are a culmination of a few factors, which happened because of the player’s lack of better judgment.

How hungry is Madders for Leicester City?

Many of us cannot help but notice that James Maddison does not seem hungry enough. I understand that footballers have goals, and they want to win everything there is to win. When Leicester City bought Maddison, many felt that the player was only treating the route of East Midlands as a stepping stone before joining a top-six side of the Premiership.

He constantly impressed the Blue Army to admire his vision of the game. That regularity has been missing for a long time. There are no signs of promises that he will bounce back. The visible hunger from Maddison seems to have been extinguishing. Not too long ago, the tabloids were covering the rise of Jack Grealish and James Maddison.

But unfortunately, his fellow comparisons have left him far behind in the pecking order. His companions such as Mason Mount, Declan Rice, and Jack Grealish have all surpassed him in the national rankings. Maddison only made one appearance for The Three Lions and seemingly is content with it. There is no reigniting urge from the player to regain his place back in Gareth Southgate’s team.

Brendan Rodgers has given him plenty of chances in which the player has let the boss’ trust down. Last season, he and several other players jeopardized the club’s targets by breaking the covid protocols. It later resulted in LCFC losing vital three points against the Hammers. The manager has clarified that the 24-year-old is not fully physically fit, but no issue in his hip is preventing him from flourishing right now.

Why is Madders not fit despite being involved in the preseason campaign? He’s not scoring, and failing to set up goals will eventually decrease his value in the club’s and potential suitors’ eyes.

The only silver lining

Arsenal’s valuation of James Maddison was quite tempting, but no official bid came in. If there was, we can all be sure that the Leicester management would have at least thought about the transfer. I am glad he is staying because he will get a chance to redeem himself at the club. As an attacking midfielder, he should provide and create opportunities for the forwards. Until he does that, I cannot say that he has been trying to improve.

He needs his hunger to become fearless like before. We sincerely hope that he bounces back from whatever he is enduring. At only 24, the world is an oyster for him. If he wasn’t motivated earlier, he should be now as he has recently entered fatherhood. With new positivity in his life- he should leave no fragility in his hard work for the critics to scrutinize.

"“I know he was really excited about becoming a father leading into the birth of his son, as parents, it changes your life for the better. I can see the enthusiasm when he comes in. He’s such a likeable boy, James, he’s always had that infectious character. I can’t say this early that I can see a difference in him. That’s over time. He is loving it and enjoying it, which we all do, especially when they are young.” – Rodgers on Maddison becoming a father Via Leicester Mercury"

After rambling about his performances, it is equally important to know he is one of my favorite football players. It is a lot harder than you think to criticize honestly by putting forward the interests of the club before the personal likeness towards the player.