James Maddison has said he would have given up penalty duty to Richarlison against AZ Alkmaar even if he wasn’t captain.
Maddison was wearing the armband on the night as Ange Postecoglou heavily rotated his squad.
In the end, a 53rd-minute Richarlison spot-kick was the only difference between the two sides.
However, the goal only came after the Brazilian forward had an extended disagreement with Maddison over who should take the penalty.
Maddison initially asserted his dominance and took the ball, but before he put it down on the spot, he had a change of heart and gave it back to Richarlison.
There was plenty of pressure on the former Everton man to deliver after the back and forth but, thankfully, he kept his composure to beat AZ goalkeeper Rome Owusu-Oduro.
James Maddison explains Richarlison penalty decision
Spurs legend Glenn Hoddle wasn’t too impressed with the penalty squabble.
“The fact Richarlison scored [the penalty] is great and that is the difference between winning the game but I don’t know, it is a bit unprofessional [to take it off designated penalty taker, James Maddison],” the former England manager told TNT Sports (via BBC Sport).
“If he’s taken off or he’s injured then there might be a scenario where you leave it to the players, but it only works out if you score.”
However, Maddison says he would have taken the same decision even if he wasn’t captain, more interested in making sure Richarlison scores his first goal back from injury than boosting his own goalscoring figures.
“Initially we both wanted to take it. I’m a senior player, I was captain today, I was going to take it, but I thought Richarlison has come back from an injury, it’s difficult for a striker – a first goal gives confidence,” Maddison explained.
“It was a split-second decision to let him take it. [It’s] leadership, obviously I wore the armband but even if I wasn’t the captain I would still like to think I would make a decision that is best for the team. Hopefully, that gives him a big boost.”
Fresh from a convincing 4-1 win over West Ham last Saturday, Spurs will be looking to make it back-to-back wins by getting the better of their Dutch opponents later this evening.
Another three points would put Ange Postecoglou’s side in an excellent position in regards to qualifying for the knockout phase of the Europa League as we approach the halfway stage of the newly-formed league phase.
AZ, who have former Tottenham man Troy Parrott in their squad, have lost their last four games in all competitions but they will give Spurs a stern test in the 8pm kick-off in N17.
Tottenham correspondent Rob Guest is covering the match with all the build-up and the action as it happens on the pitch and reaction from the supporters and media.
Scroll down for all of our latest updates from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Every word from Micky
As is always the case in a press conference ahead of a European tie, Ange Postecoglou was joined by one of his players to preview the game.
This time it was Micky van de Ven in front of the media as he spoke about coming up against a team from his home country.
As well as discussing his time with AZ as a youngster, the defender opened up on the Mohammed Kudus incident in the West Ham game, his speed and Dominic Solanke’s impact.
Ange on if Odobert could feature against AZ
football.london asked Ange Postecoglou if Wilson Odobert could possibly play some part in this evening’s game against AZ Alkmaar.
Here’s what the Spurs boss said:
Yeah, potentially. Again, we’ve got to be a bit more careful with him because he’s missed a lot. He’s only had this week of training. He’s be involved tomorrow, in the squad. Game-time will be game-dependent with him but good to get him back and after this week he should be fully available.
