Ange Postecoglou explained that he felt Tottenham needed more legs in the midfield against Chelsea, which is why they left out James Maddison
Since returning from injury, Maddison has struggled to regain the form he had at the start of the season
It could be argued that Tottenham’s struggles in recent months have been due to the attacking midfielder’s poor form, leaving the Lilywhites relying on him for creativity
The Athletic reported earlier this week that the feeling at Spurs is that Maddison is almost trying too hard to impress, with the feeling that the former Leicester man is too keen to make a statement to ensure he wins a place in England
Euro team
Why did Postecoglou bench James Maddison
Postecoglou decided to bench the England international and put Dejan Kulusevski on as number 10 at Stamford Bridge, but this decision did not have the desired effect
Maddison replaced Pape Matar Sarr in the 63rd minute, but he did not have much impact on the match as the home team won 2-0
When asked why he left the 27-year-old out of the starting lineup, Postecoglou told Football
London: I think we need to refresh the team
I think today we need some legs because they obviously have a very mobile and agile front three-quarters
“I just feel we need some legs in midfield
With the arrival of Biss, Pape and Deki, I think that will help us
To be fair, it doesn’t work
Spurs Web Opinion We can’t argue with the decision to drop Maddison as the attacking midfielder has been playing quite poorly of late, but we feel Ange has been slow at times to make changes
Personally, I think he could have brought in Lo Celso a lot sooner
I think the Argentinian now deserves a place in the team to show what he can do
James Maddison had to leave the field early again as Tottenham were beaten 3-2 by Arsenal in the North London Derby on Sunday
Trailing 3-0 at the break with the visitors scoring three goals too easily from Spurs’ perspective, Ange Postecoglou’s side were left with a mountain to climb for the remainder of the tournament
Having plenty of time to control the ball and get into good areas of the pitch, Tottenham simply couldn’t control the ball much and Maddison unfortunately had no influence on the course of play at times for his team She needs him to catch the game by the scruff of the neck
The England international was virtually anonymous throughout his 64 minutes and he might have been lucky to stay on the field as long as he did if he should have been hooked much earlier
A key player for Tottenham in the opening weeks of the season as they rose to the top of the Premier League table, the 27-year-old has become a shadow of his former self since returning from injury
With 3 goals and 5 assists in his first 11 Premier League games for the club, Maddison has only scored 1 goal and 2 assists in 12 games since returning in victory 3 -2 in January against Brentford
During this time, the former Norwich City man has only played the full 90 minutes once, including in February’s home win against Brighton & Hove Albion
Postecoglou has continued to start Maddison despite his dip in form, but he may now have to make a decision on his summer contract ahead of Thursday night’s London derby against Chelsea
Something that would have been unthinkable just a few months ago, his first stint on the bench this season could be the key to revitalizing the player for the rest Of the season
Maddison may be Tottenham’s most creative player this season, but he is currently not in the form worthy of being a starter
This could open the door for one of his team-mates to take on the holding midfielder role at Stamford Bridge
Dejan Kulusevski was one of Tottenham’s best players that day, putting in a very good performance after previous difficulties had seen him sit on the bench
Tottenham’s defeat in the north London derby was another disappointing outing for James Maddison, who was sent off shortly after the hour mark when his side were 3-0 down
Maddison failed to make a real impact in a strange match – perhaps man of the match in the 2-2 draw at the Emirates in September – and that was for the fifth time in the last six games
70 minutes or earlier, Spurs needed to score each time
Maddison was Spurs’ creative force in his first 10 appearances, winning his first Premier League Player of the Month award this season, and by that time his season had been derailed by injury ankle ligament in the disastrous 1-4 loss to Chelsea on November 6, he directly contributed to 8 goals
Since returning to the field at the end of January, the 27-year-old has failed to reach the same heights and he is preparing for a strange first season in north London: the exception to one for thirds, absent for one third and master for one third
Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou has defended Maddison’s performances this year, pointing out that he is one of a number of players affected by the club’s strange fixture schedule, while himself Maddison himself recently said he feels close to his best form
“Maybe not at the level that won me player of the month at the start of the season, but I’m so hungry and critical of myself that I have to work hard to try and get back to that level,” he said
he said
said after the victory
Luton at the end of March
“I’m not too far away, I feel good
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