MY ACCOUNT
Lowly Leicester are finally finding form — and Harvey Barnes is firing on all cylinders for the Foxes.
Brendan Rodgers’ men have beaten Leeds and Wolves in their last two outings, with their No7 getting on the scoresheet in both encounters.
But while the clamour for team-mate James Maddison’s inclusion in the England squad continues apace, there has been little talk of a potential call-up for Barnes.
As Leicester prepare to face Manchester City this afternoon, we consider whether their wing wizard should be on the plane to Qatar.
Goal-den patch
Barnes’ four league goals this season have put him on course to beat his best-ever top-flight tally in 2020-21.
The 24-year-old scored nine in 25 appearances during that campaign, so still has plenty of time to better that total.
Leicester’s struggles have not helped his cause — but a run of three wins and a draw from their last five fixtures has coincided with an eye-catching scoring streak.
Three of his four goals in 2022-23 have come in October, after he found the net against Nottingham Forest, as well as in the two most recent wins.
England inclusion?
It would take something remarkable for Gareth Southgate to include a wildcard pick in his World Cup squad — but former Leicester forward Matt Piper believes that Barnes would bring something different to the Three Lions.
Speaking after the Foxes’ victory over Forest, he said: “When he [Barnes] is on and scores goals like that, he’s a joy to watch.
“He’s got to be more consistent. He was brilliant tonight but he’s another one, maybe I’m being bias here, that when he’s on a top level, he offers England something that we haven’t got.
“Jack Grealish can’t do what he does there. He’s got the pace, he runs away from full-backs.
“But he’s got to be more consistent. We’ve seen him at his absolute brilliant best tonight, he’s got to try and show it, week in, week out because he’s a big player for us.”
More to come
Despite his impressive scoring record, Barnes is yet to hit the heights of last season when it comes to creating chances.
The academy graduate has not registered a single league assist this term, compared with a commendable 10 in 2021-22.
In fact, he has only conjured four opportunities for his team-mates across the entire campaign — the eighth-highest total in the Foxes’ squad.
Barnes will need to improve that output in the weeks and months ahead, though previous years suggest he has every chance of boosting those numbers.
Defensive impact
One aspect of Barnes’ game that is often overlooked is his ability to defend from the front.
He has won back possession 10 times in the attacking third across his 10 appearances to date, which sees him rank 13th across all Premier League players.
Only Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (11) has regained the ball in this area more times for Leicester, demonstrating how crucial Barnes is to the high-pressing system that Rodgers favours.
Maddison ahead
Though Barnes’ performances have improved as the season has progressed, he remains some way behind fellow Foxes attacker James Maddison in a number of key metrics.
Maddison has scored more goals (six), registered more assists (two) and created far more chances (22) than Barnes, so continues to stand out as the star performer in Rodgers’ side.
Southgate may well choose to go without either Leicester player when he selects his squad for Qatar 2022 — but their creator-in-chief is likely to be ahead of Barnes in the England manager’s pecking order.
