James Maddison terms Tottenham Hotspur qualifying for the Champions League as ‘non-negotiable’
Following Tottenham Hotspur’s win against Nottingham Forest last night, midfielder James Maddison acknowledged that it is “non-negotiable” for the club to qualify for the Champions League while also targeting a potential title push for the upcoming season.
Ange Postecoglou’s side claimed the number four position from Aston Villa following the three points this weekend. Tottenham go level with Aston Villa on 60 points, but with a game in hand.
It was a game that the Lilywhites were expected to win, playing relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest. The game progressed exactly as the Spurs faithful would have liked after the North Londoners experienced another moment of vulnerability when Chris Wood cancelled out Murillo’s own goal in the first half hour. Although Tottenham got back following two second-half goals coming from the defensive line as Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro found the back of the net.
James Maddison sets ambitious targets after Nottingham Forest win
James Maddison, who missed about ten weeks of football owing to ankle ligament damage sustained in November, is looking to find his pre-injury form, which proved a nightmare for the defensive lines of multiple teams.
The former Leicester midfielder, in his post-match press conference, emphasized the necessity for the club to finish in the traditional top four this season. He also put through the ambition in the squad to win the Premier League silverware soon.
Speaking in the post-match press, via. The Standard, he said:
“I get the manager not wanting to talk about [finishing in the top four], but I am not going to lie to your face and say you don’t think about that, because we want to be in the Champions League. This club needs to be in the Champions League, [it’s] non-negotiable really, and that’s the aim. That’s why we’ll try to finish strong and get that.”
“That’s definitely the feeling,” said the 27-year-old, when asked if challenging for the title challenge is the aim.
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“It’s annoying listening to three teams go at it for the title and we’re not in it. How exciting is the title race this season? It’s amazing, it’s brilliant for a neutral. Everyone is locked into the Premier League every week, because it’s such a good title race. Frustrating not to be a part of that, but we are where we are and we have our own job to do.”
Tottenham would not want to get ahead of the process at hand, though this shows the ambition that the club is heading towards, and long may it continue.