England World Cup Odds: Marvellous Maddison can make the England Squad after most productive season
The Premier League season drew to a close on Sunday afternoon with one of the most memorable final day finishes in history. With the World Cup now less than six months away we’ve decided to look at several English players' performances this season and assess their chances of making Gareth Southgate’s squad. Today it’s Leicester man James Maddison who comes under the microscope and we think the 25-year-old may have a bit more chance of being on the plane to Qatar than his odds currently imply.
All Competitions
Leicester came out 4-1 winners against Southampton on Sunday with James Maddison scoring the opening goal of the game. The Foxes number 10 also provided an assist for Ayoze Perez with ten minutes remaining and after the game manager Brendan Rodgers was quoted saying:
“He can’t do any more (to return to England). He will be delighted with the season he has had. He has been absolutely brilliant. He is hungry since that difficult start for him. He has power and quality, he scores today and creates one. He is strong defensively, has been aggressive and his football tallent is there for everyone to see. Look at his numbers, he has been first class and been, by quite a distance, our best player.”
Leicester have participated in six different competitions this season when you include the Community Shield and both the Europa League and Conference League. In total, Maddison has made 53 appearances, with 13 of those being from the substitutes bench.
- Appearances: 40 (13)
- Goals: 18
- Assists: 12
- Shots: 93
- Shots on Target: 38
Compared with other English players
Kevin de Bruyne was the only midfielder to score more goals than James Maddison in the top-flight this term, and now let’s take a look at how he has performed in the Premier League in comparison to some of the other English lads in contention to make the World Cup squad.
Premier League 2021/2022 - Most Goal Contributions by English players
- 26 - Harry Kane - Goals 17 - Assists 9
- 21 - Mason Mount - Goals 11 - Assists 10
- 20 - James Maddison - Goals 12 - Assists 8
- 18 - Bukayo Saka - Goals 11 - Assists 7
- 17 - Raheem Sterling - Goals 13 - Assists 4
- 17 - Jamie Vardy - Goals 15 - Assists 2
- 16 - Harvey Barnes - Goals 6 - Assists 10
- 15 - James Ward-Prowse - Goals 10 - Assists 5
- 14 - Phil Foden - Goals 9 - Assists 5
Can he get in?
Prior to this season, James Maddison’s best return for goals and assists combined in a single Premier League campaign was back in 2018/2019, when he registered seven goals and seven assists. What’s even more impressive this season is that only one English player in Harry Kane has scored more goals than the 25-year-old, with 12 to his name. Perhaps the only genuine number 10 in contention, he could give Gareth Southgate a different option to take to Qatar should he wish.
Odds
Maddison may only have one England cap to his name which came back in 2019, but his figures and performances this season cannot be ignored. Several bookmakers have odds available ‘To make the World Cup Squad’, with William Hill being the best priced out there at the time of writing at 9/2.
For those who are feeling a little more optimistic about marvelous Maddison helping England to glory this winter, both Betfair and Paddy Power have a market available for who will start England’s first match. 25/1 is the current price on show for Maddison to start England’s first game against Iran on 21 November.
