Ange Postecoglou will want his Tottenham side to pick up where they left off before the break when they face Sheffield United and the Australian can count on his new player James Maddison to wreak havoc against Sheffield United when the two sides clash this weekend.
The Tottenham boss has managed to give his side an unbeaten start to the campaign and would eye another win against Sheffield United to maintain the pressure at the top and at the centre of the run is Maddison, who was rewarded along side the coach as the best in the past month in the English Premier League. Postecoglou was named the best coach for the month, while his midfielder Maddison was rewarded with Player of the Month gong.
Maddison has made a fast start to life at Spurs following his summer transfer from Leicester City.
He was named as one of the club’s new vice-captains to Son Heung-min shortly after his arrival, while he also inherited Harry Kane’s number 10 shirt following his move to Bayern Munich.
Maddison has impressed early on in his Tottenham career under Postecoglou. He grabbed two assists in their opening weekend 2-2 draw at Brentford before scoring the opener in a 2-0 victory at Bournemouth a fortnight later.
The England international also played a starring role in Spurs’ 2-0 win at home to Manchester United between those two fixtures.
A number of Spurs players have performed well – Yves Bissouma is replicating his best Brighton form at the base of the midfield, while Destiny Udogie and Micky van de Ven have bolstered what was previously one of the league’s frailest backlines – but Maddison has stood out.
He is filling a gap that long needed filling. Spurs have not had a No 10 who can pry apart defences since Christian Eriksen’s departure to Inter in 2020, and that has shown. Kane dragged the club through the mire – he scored 43% of their league goals last season – but there was not a creator to drift between the lines and pick out teammates. Maddison’s arrival was welcomed with open arms by supporters and they have not been disappointed.
Even though Leicester were relegated last season, Maddison maintained his high standards, scoring 10 goals and providing nine assists. He has been even better this season, scoring twice, setting up two more goals and returning the highest WhoScored rating (8.08) of any player in the league.
Safe in the knowledge that the defence is protected by Bissouma, and both full-backs when they push into midfield, Maddison is free to do what he does best: wreak havoc in the final third. He has been given a free role and is quickly establishing himself as the creative fulcrum in Postecoglou’s exciting team. He ranks top for key passes (10) and second for dribbles (seven) of all Spurs players this season.
Postecoglou has created a positive mood at the club after miserable spells under José Mourinho, Nuno Espírito Santo and Antonio Conte. The club has oozed negativity in the four years since Mauricio Pochettino’s departure in 2019, but that is changing under the Australian. Not everything is peachy, but it’s a darn sight better than the death throes of Conte’s reign of terror. Maddison’s performances, and the ease with which he has adjusted to his new surroundings, have boosted morale among the fanbase. It’s not a shock that he has quickly become a fans’ favourite.
Maddison will once again play in that core no.10 role for Spurs, with Richarlison leading the line for the team. Dejan Kulusevski will keep his place on the right side of the attack, with Son on the left, hoping to continue his impressive form of late.
