Attacking midfielders seems too aggressive a name for certain meek footballers – forward-facing midfielders would be more accurate. Anyway how did they contribute to the modern Leicester City debacle?
James Maddison – Leicester City Games (32) – Goals (10)
Leicester City’s star man has had quite the season, ten goals and nine assists have put him at the top of every Premier League club’s wishlist. His form going into the World Cup (I feel like I’m writing that on repeat for a lot of these reviews) was second to none and there was no way Gareth Southgate could omit him from the tournament squad despite previous snubs. Come to think of it there is a very loose argument that Gareth Southgate might be to blame for Leicester City being relegated.
Maddison went on to watch all of England’s games from the bench. Admittedly he was injured for the first couple of games but was available to be involved in any of the other three games. Especially after going 3-0 up against Senegal in the 57th minute, picking Maddison would have been a relatively low-risk look at top talent. But alas, Southgate instead pipped for his trusted confidantes – £70million rated Mason Mount anybody? These England squads feel like perfect tapping up opportunities for players to speak with teammates and get word to prospective clubs about their availability. Maybe I’m just paranoid.
Following the World Cup, City were pathetic for five months bar the occasional result and just like everyone else at the club Maddison’s form dropped off a cliff. He seemed distracted and not able to perform at his best. He no longer bossed games and continued to be easy to bully. Perhaps he wanted to be the centre of attention too much, demanding the ball and doing some elaborate step-overs and skills to show the world he was still very good.
Overall in 2023, Maddison scored only two goals from open play and a penalty, added to his five assists. Despite the occasional memorable moments, two at the King Power stick out for many. A horrific back-pass that gifted Bournemouth a win and a penalty miss against Everton that was pivotal in helping keep Everton up and relegating the Foxes.
I’ve spoken enough about his in-season social media pratfalls, despite the media praise Maddison still has lots of maturing to do, just ask Rob Tanner. So let us just focus on a line from ‘Madders” closing statement for the campaign and probably his Leicester career.
"We take responsibility for that & the negativity that comes with it & continue to stick together"
Was this supposed to be a private message for his agent?
Harvey Barnes – Games (40) – Goals (13)
In a season of underperformers, Harvey Barnes stands out as one that progressed his game whilst others went backward. For the first time in his career, he scored double figures in the Premier League and showed more consistency in front of goal. Barnes is an interesting player though as he does tend to drift out of games, but still pops up for a tidy inside-left finish.
These are the moments that prospective suitors will look towards when sizing up Barnes for a potential transfer over the summer. What counts against him is his work off the ball and how he protects the left back behind him. Victor Kristiansen got visibly annoyed with him during a game where Barnes needed to be more aggressive in the press. Barnes seems like a lovely guy on and off the pitch, but could probably do with a touch of the nasties to take his game to the next level. He can get even better as a tricky wide man and can definitely win more free kicks and cause full-backs more problems.
Perhaps he needs a new look, it’s curious that at 25 we’ve never seen him with any facial hair or a different haircut, now’s the time Barnes, a Garribaldi-style beard and a skinhead will take your game to the next level – that and a new club unfortunately.
Tetê – Games (14) – Goals (1)
The first-ever Brazilian to wear the Foxes shirt burst into the game in an incredible debut at Aston Villa. He was aggressive, creative, quick and tricky. He scored an excellent goal and was a constant menace throughout.
That was the last time he played well for the club, which speaks volumes of the coaches skills to train all that positivity out of him over the coming weeks. Crucially in the Aston Villa victory he was allowed to roam both the outside and inside left channels and play on the shoulder of defenders. He caused havoc.
By the next game, he was dropping in deep like so many right-sided players in previous terms – coincidence? Tetê allowed full-backs to get into position whilst he cut inside looking for central passes. That was pretty much the summary of this talented Brazilian’s time at the club. Completely mismanaged and wasted.
Dennis Praet – Games (27) – Goals (1)
It is not a mistype, I had to double check that was the number of games Dennis Praet was involved in. 15 of these 27 were obviously as a sub and it’s worth noting he didn’t complete one 90 minutes of football all season. In total he managed 649 minutes of football and all that I can remember from this season was a well-taken goal at Aston Villa. That’s still a lot of minutes to just disappear.
Where does he play best? He serves as a type of football Polyfilla, filling in positional gaps. The only reason I see him staying at the club next season is to pick up a hefty wage and then go on loan.
Ayoze Perez – Games (13) – Goals (1)
Another player that stuck around to wind down his expensive contract. Just for good measure, he saw out the last of his contract back in Spain, having a decent time at Real Betis. The main thing he’ll be remembered for this season is an open-goal miss against Fulham after the new year. Thanks for the handball assist in the FA Cup final though Youri.
Marc Albrighton – Games (11) – Goals (1)
‘Sharky’ had a barren time of football this season at the King Power stadium. It makes sense in some ways as he doesn’t have the required pace to play in many EPL setups these days. With the lack of target men waiting to get on the end of his pinpoint crosses and Jamie Vardy’s penchant for offsides, Albrighton’s days may appear to be numbered at Filbert Way.
His loan move to West Bromwich Albion was entirely necessary for him as he seeks as much football in his career as he can manage. But it kind of speaks volumes that ‘Mr. Dependable’ can no longer be depended on. He may stick around but if we’re being honest there seems to be little left for him to contribute to the club.