James Maddison has said that, unlike the Tottenham supporters who wanted to see their side lose against Manchester City, he and his teammates did not care as much about Arsenal and were only focused on getting the result.
It was like a major soap oprah when Manchester City visited the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the penultimate game of the season.
The Premier League champions had a poor record at the venue but they also knew that a lot of Spurs fans would be on their side this time as a draw or a Tottenham win would give Arsenal a huge upper hand in the Premier League title race.
Despite all the talk ahead of the game about whether Spurs would take the game seriously, Ange Postecoglou’s men certainly left everything out there on the pitch and in the end, they would have got a result if not for the heroics of Stefan Ortega in the City goal.
Discussing the game, Maddison pointed out that the Tottenham players do not have the same hatred for Arsenal as the supporters do, and he insisted that while he understood the feelings of Spurs fans, he and his teammates were only focused on winning the game.
James Maddison is a Spurs player, not a Spurs fan
The attacking midfielder told talkSPORT (28 May 2024, 5:15 pm): “All the build-up that you lot (media) do, we probably don’t as much notice as you think or don’t fully understand the fans’ feelings.
“I am not a Tottenham fan. Deep down in my heart, I don’t have the hatred for Arsenal that Tottenham fans have. But on the same page, I completely understand.
“I am a Coventry fan. That’s where watching Coventry in the FA Cup, that’s how I feel when I support a team, and that’s how I know with the rivals and stuff.”
Spurs Web Opinion
The Tottenham players and Postecoglou were always going to give their all to win the game as they are professionals and would not have wanted any questions raised over their integrity.
At the same time, the feelings of many Spurs fans were understandable as Arsenal supporters would have rubbed it in for a long time if their side had helped the Gunners win the title.