James Maddison will be crucial for Tottenham to beat AZ Alkmaar in the second leg of the Europa League last-16 tie
Tottenham Hotspur go head-to-head with AZ Alkmaar in the second leg of their Europa League last 16 tie at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday night.
Ange Postecoglou and Co. remain desperate to keep their hopes of silverware alive, having suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat in the first leg at the AFAS Stadium in the Netherlands last week. Spurs need a turnaround against the Eredivisie side if they are to progress to the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
The North London outfit head into the game without Kevin Danso, who sustained a hamstring injury during the closing stages of a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth in the Premier League on Sunday. Ange Postecoglou’s side came from 2-0 down to earn a valuable point against Bournemouth in the Premier League on Sunday.
Ahead of the return leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Spurs midfielder James Maddison admits the players, fans and everyone are on the “same page”. He has urged the fans to come in big numbers and show full support on Thursday to help Tottenham beat AZ Alkmaar and advance to the last eight of the competition.
“Yeah, we know what it means to us, the fans, everyone, we’re all on the same page. The first leg obviously wasn’t good enough, tough conditions on a tough pitch to play the way we want to play, but it’s only 1-0, they’ve got to come to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and if the fans get behind us and have the place rocking like we know they can,” James Maddison said in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports.
The energy, sharpness, closing down and application we have seen from Tottenham players in the wins over Brentford, Manchester United and Ipswich Town have been in stark contrast to the sluggish performances we witnessed from the side over the last two games against AZ Alkmaar and Bournemouth. This is despite several key players returning to action from injury problems.
Now that the Lilywhites have been boosted by the return of key players, senior members of the squad, like James Maddison, have to show more responsibility and help the club enjoy a strong end to the campaign. There have been criticisms over the England international’s form and consistency from certain pundits and sections of the media, which he must take on his chin and respond on the pitch.
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Against a well-drilled AZ side, the onus will be on Maddison to unlock the visitors’ defence and provide service for the Tottenham forwards in the final third. Truly, with desire, commitment and togetherness from the players on the pitch and the fans in the stands, Big Ange’s side will be raring to right the wrongs they did last week and overcome their Dutch adversaries.
It is now or never for Tottenham, as failure to do so would lead to more speculation over Big Ange’s future at the club.
