James Maddison has come under a lot of scrutiny from fans and pundits given his underwhelming performances throughout the ongoing campaign as the North Londoners look for creative solutions time and again to replicate his performances from previous campaigns.

The England international is one of those players who can turn the game on its head when he is performing at his best, but then he is one of those players whose shoulders drop and doesn’t take time when things start going against him. How many times have we seen him fuming about a substitution? Numerous. And that’s just the start. When passes don’t come off or the opponents are trying to run him out of the game, his impact drops off massively.

The Kulusevski experiment

The Australian head coach at Hotspur Way may have noticed that time and again. This is where Postecoglou started integrating Dejan Kulusevski in a more central role with the idea that he not only carries the ball but also is quick to operate in the pockets. He is also very adept at finding his teammates in spaces. But some may consider that this Kulu in an AM role experiment went too far…

While Postecoglou has started reverting back to operating the Swede out wide and the former Leicester City midfielder down the middle. Andy, we have started seeing that purple patch from Maddison yet again (just exactly when Tottenham needed it).

But if we start talking about roles in how Maddison is being operated by Postecoglou, do you think he has been held back?

Let’s compare two sides of Maddison and point fingers at Postecoglou

James Maddison made his name after firing in the Championship, putting in goals after goals after goals. And then he moved to Leicester City, a club where he continued to contribute in goals and assists on a consistent basis. But for the sake of understanding, let’s walk into his role with the Foxes in his final season at King Power.

For the majority of the 2022/23 season, Maddison was used in more of a number ten role in a 4-2-3-1 with a license to ping in balls and operate in pockets. He was playing direct football (much like how Tottenham plays) but was pinning the majority of his balls from the second phase into the final phase to get the most out of the runners upfront. And in a settled possession in the final third, he used to take up spaces out wide on the right flank to drop shoulders and put in crosses. But his area of operation was very wide; you can say more of a free role.

But all that changed when he started playing under Postecoglou. The Australian head coach started putting him in a number eight role but with a chain tying him up to the left flank. This takes away much from his creative abilities, and we are seeing the emergence of the same on the field.

Paul Robinson agrees…

And this is something former Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson also agrees with. He recently went on to argue how Maddison is not being deployed in his most effective role by the former Celtic manager, which has in turn limited his overall impact on the pitch.

In an exclusive interview with Tottenham News, Robinson said:

“Maddison has been an out of the side, but you’ve got to give him credit when he does get his opportunity. He performs to his level.

“I don’t agree with where he’s played. When he played and Spurs were struggling, they played a 4-3-3.

“He’s played him as a deep-lying left-sided midfielder, and that’s not his best position. If you want to get the best out of James Maddison, you play him higher up the field than a number 10, where he can cause more damage. I saw him at the weekend.

“I thought that his reaction after the game showed his commitment, the way that he was when he went over to the supporters. I think he’s a player that plays better when he’s got a run of games, and he knows that he’s going to be playing every week.”

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Putting in your opinion about Maddison, let us know your thoughts in the comments below and answer that question: Is Postecoglou to blame for Maddison’s underwhelming performances?