Tottenham ace despairs after ‘performance meltdown’, apologizes for hasty apology, says ‘courage was gone’
One of the reasons for Tottenham Hotspur’s struggles. Vice-captain James Maddison, 27, is not playing well.
“It was a terrible day,” Maddison said in an interview after the 33rd round match of the 2023-2024 English Premier League (EPL) season against Newcastle United, according to a report by the Daily Mail on Thursday, “Tottenham were not brave. They only tried to play safe passes. They didn’t have enough courage to try to attack more daringly.”
It was a lethargic performance. Tottenham were on the wrong end of a 0-4 defeat against Newcastle after being in control throughout. Manager Ange Postecoglou (59) took off key player Son Heung-min (32) early in the second half. It was a virtual white flag.
Vice-captain Maddison also struggled. He was substituted at the end of the second half after failing to create any chances. “We have to look in the mirror and realize that we didn’t play well,” Maddison said, “and I can only apologize for what the fans saw on the scoreboard. The Tottenham away fans were still clapping for us. Thank you to everyone for being there.”
The Newcastle game was not Maddison’s first time out. He has been injured since November and has struggled to find his form in the early part of the season. Postecoglou has been forced to make early substitutions in recent games.
According to Talk Sport, Maddison has been substituted early in six Premier League games in the 2023-2024 season. All with more than 20 minutes of game time remaining. “In a crucial situation, Postecoglou brought on Dejan Klosepski, 24, in place of Maddison,” the publication said.
In fact, Maddison had played 66 minutes against Fulham on December 17, 68 minutes against Luton Town on December 31, and then went to the bench after 70 minutes against West Ham. Spurs won one, drew one, and lost one in that span.
As Maddison has slipped into a slump, the pressure has naturally 카지노 increased on Son Heung-min. Heung-min has been more of a passer than a shooter lately. In fact, aside from Son, Tottenham have no one else to run the offense, with even the sharpest addition to the attack, Eden Hazard, 26, out injured.
Maddison is an attacking midfielder who burst onto the scene at Leicester City last season. Since joining Tottenham, he’s been an ace, especially in the early stages of the 2023-2024 season, when he and captain Son Heung-min combined to lead Spurs to the top of the table. He and Maddison had a great offense, exchanging goals and assists.
However, towards the end of the season, they seemed to lose steam. At the height of the title fight, Maddison was briefly sidelined with an injury.
Having already been eliminated from all cup competitions, Spurs are focusing on the Premier League. They have their sights set on qualifying for the UEFA Champions League (UCL) in the 2024-2025 season.
This makes the loss to Newcastle all the more painful. Spurs have fallen to fifth place, behind Aston Villa. Maddison’s resurgence is needed now more than ever.