When he moved to Tottenham last summer, James Maddison was regarded as one of the finest attacking midfielders in the land. A few months into his debut Spurs campaign, the Englishman had the world at his feet with his scintillating performances.
But it wasn’t to last. Maddison’s drop-off over the course of last season embodied that of Spurs. This season, his form embodies his career up to this point: not too bad, but not as good as was once expected of him.
Maddison is now 28 years old. He’s no longer a prodigy and is accelerating towards becoming a what-could-have-been. If he wants turn his fortunes around at Hotspur Way, things need to change. Here, we look at three key things he could work on to once again become one of the Premier League’s finest operators.
Set-pieces
Spurs have been famously suspect on set-pieces under Ange Postecoglou. His insistence on changing little about his methods means even with repetition in training the team will only go so far.
He may not be able to do much about the defensive side of this argument, but on the other end James Maddison could help his side convert more chances. We know very well the threat he poses from free-kicks, but his corners are something he could work on a bit more. Spurs are going to continue relying on their ability to score more than what they inevitably concede, and Maddison needs to up the ante as the supplier-in-chief.
Industry
Ever since his early playing days, no one has doubted James Maddison’s technical ability. However, under a coach that demands defensive intensity even from even his forwards, Maddison stands apart, and not in a good way. One example of his lack of industry being an issue was Spurs’ game against West Ham last month—he was hooked off at half-time when his side were level with the Hammers, and his replacement Pape Matar Sarr played a key role in them coming out 4-1 victors.
In a team where Dominic Solanke is shining not only because of his goals but his defensive contributions from the front, Maddison needs to do better. He needs to offer more intensity off the ball and help the side in attack-to-defence transitions.
Flexibility
If their last season and the early months of this season are anything to go by, Tottenham are going to have injury issues going into the second half of the season. In the final third, in particular, they have issues not only in terms of injury but also in terms of the form of their forwards. Captain Son Heung-min has not been in the best of shapes, Wilson Odobert is out injured, Richarlison is both injury-prone and struggling for form, and Timo Werner continues to leave a lot to be desired in terms of goal contributions.
Consider this an extension of the previous point—both Postecoglou and James Maddison need to consider the possibility of the latter playing out wide. If Maddison is able to up his industry, he may be able to convince his gaffer to experiment him out on either flank. This could bring him more opportunities in the coming games and help Spurs deal with their injury issues, which are likely to be further exacerbated because of Postecoglou’s intense regimen once again this season.
