Classy James Maddison and Harvey Barnes give England boss Gareth Southgate something to smile about as they help Leicester beat Chelsea
- James Maddison and Harvey Barnes impressed as Leicester beat Chelsea
- Both players will have boosted their chances of being called up by England
- Gareth Southgate will be pleased with the amount of English players on show
As Leicester attempted to reach the top of the table and Chelsea tried to build on their weekend win at Fulham, at least one manager would have been delighted even before the match had begun.
If England are to make a serious impression at Euro 2020 Gareth Southgate needs as many players as possible to feature in big matches at the top of the table. So when he saw the team sheets Southgate would surely have smiled.
Though James Justin, James Maddison and Harvey Barnes have yet to make an England start between them, all three surely have a bright future at international level.
James Maddison boosted his England chances as he helped Leicester to beat Chelsea
Playing on both the right and the left, Justin has been one of the most impressive full backs in the top flight this term.
Barnes has a better goal ratio from wide than either Raheem Sterling or Jadon Sancho, while Maddison has scored in each of his last three matches and looks dangerous every time he receives the ball.
Jamie Vardy stepped away from international football after the 2018 World Cup and — officially — he has not changed his mind. Yet if Vardy finishes this season near the top of the scoring charts and Southgate picks up the phone, it won’t be easy to say no.
Harvey Barnes, who has one England cap, also produced an encouraging display v Chelsea
Gareth Southgate will have been delighted with the amount of English talents on show
Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers spoke about how, as British coaches, he and Frank Lampard had a responsibility to develop players for the national team and Lampard is doing a good job for Southgate, too.
Mason Mount is a fixture for both club and country while Ben Chilwell, who left Leicester to move to Stamford Bridge in the last transfer window, could also make the starting XI at left back.
Reece James, Tammy Abraham and Callum Hudson-Odoi have featured in Southgate’s plans before and would be hopeful of doing so again during the second half of the campaign.
Of these players, Barnes and Maddison are perhaps the most intriguing options. Their personalities are as different as their styles of play — Maddison the brash creator, Barnes the quiet assassin.
Barnes hit double figures for the campaign in last weekend’s 2-0 win over Southampton, and Maddison’s first-half strike was his eighth, just one fewer than he managed in the whole of the 2019-20 campaign.
Defender James Justin caught the eye and he will be looking to get into the England squad
His celebration was clearly intended as a message to someone, as he turned his back to the camera and pointed to the name on the back of his shirt, before turning to the lens and nodding as if to say ‘How about that, then?’
Maddison can take heart from what has happened to Jack Grealish. At the start of the season it was difficult to see how the Aston Villa captain would force his way into Southgate’s thinking but once he did he took his chance.
Maddison and Barnes had quieter starts to their international careers before being left out of subsequent squads yet they are making themselves very difficult to ignore.
As this match showed, though, Southgate is hardly short of options.