Who would have thought that James Maddison would yet again be part of another team in a relegation race?
The 2022/23 campaign for Leicester City has been nothing short of a disaster so far under the guidance of Brendan Rodgers. Seven games in and only one point on the board smells relegation at this early point.
No wonder Leicester City's board, as per our sister site Leicestershire Live, have held talks in regards to what needs to be done in the management set-up and on the pitch over the international break to rectify what looks to be a messy situation in the east Midlands.
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Regardless of whether or not Rodgers remains in charge for the upcoming fixtures against Nottingham Forest and AFC Bournemouth remains to be seen but one thing that cannot be underestimated is just how good the Foxes' number 10 has been.
In the six Premier League games that he's featured in, the former Norwich City star has four goal contributions to his name, including a brilliant goal in the most recent 6-2 humbling to Antonio Conte's side.
Impressively, according to FBRef, the 25-year-old has an expected goal (xG) rate of 1.0 per game whilst having half this value for his expected assists (xA) so far. In each of the six domestic losses and the one draw on the opening weekend vs Brentford, the Coventry-born midfielder has mustered up a combined Shot Creation Action (SCA) and Goal Creation Action (GCA) of 22.
Therefore, the 'painful' verdict made after the huge loss at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium maybe shouldn't apply to him, rather than his teammates. The Foxes' current predicament means Chelsea's new recruit Wesley Fofana looks like he got out of the club at the right time.
"Oh definitely. It is a collective, it's not the manager. We're the eleven out there.," Maddison reflected on the failings. "It's painful and it hurts when you see a manager who you have a lot of respect for and who you've built a brilliant relationship with, get so much heat and so much negativity.
"Ultimately we are the players out there that have to do the business. We haven't been of late. That hurts us." The England international added: "It is tough to debrief it in my head so soon after. Obviously, people will check the scoreline and see 6-2 and think 'Wow, Leicester got battered again’. But I don't think that was the case. First half especially I thought we were outstanding."
Rodgers, or any successor if he is unable to reverse the side's fortunes, has a huge task on their hands to boost morale and a relegation from the top flight would most likely ensure a much-anticipated Maddison exit. The player in question himself decided to do the opposite of what Fofana did and stay put amid strong interest from Newcastle and more a tentative interest from Spurs.
But a demotion to the Championship could present Fabio Paratici with the perfect opportunity to poach a top-class player for a bargain price. One to watch out for if the worst was to come to the worst for the current Premier League strugglers.
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