Ian Wright has said that Ange Postecoglou could have kept James Maddison in the starting eleven until the midfielder regained his confidence and turned around his form, given how important a player he is to Tottenham.
Before Maddison got injured in November, many at the time would have felt that the attacking midfielder was on course to win the Player of the Season award.
He dominated games and played with a swagger and confidence in that number ten role that many Spurs fans had not seen since Rafael Van der Vaart’s time at White Hart Lane.
However, since his return from his injury layoff, the 27-year-old has looked a shadow of the player we saw at the start of the campaign.
Wright urges Postecoglou to stick with James Maddison
The fact that he is playing in a side that is also struggling for confidence and form has not helped the England international, who has lost his place in the starting eleven during the last two matches.
Wright told Premier League Productions (06/05/24 at 2:45 pm) about Maddison’s season: “He starts unbelievable, unfortunately, he gets that injury during the middle of the season and finishes the season at a whimper.
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“You have to stick with someone like him and hope you can keep him fit. He is going to be a main cog in anything Tottenham do, in respect of creativity and the players he is going to go and give the service to.
“You have to find a way where you can keep him fit. Keep him motivated and bring those players in that are going to help to fulfil the potential that we know he has. But we haven’t seen it frequently enough and consistently enough.”
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Postecoglou would be hoping that the decision to drop Maddison to the bench would serve as a kick on the backside that the attacking midfielder needed to start producing his best football again.
The 27-year-old will be hungry to show what he can do in the final few matches of the season and secure his place in the England squad for the Euros.
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