Ange Postecoglou could axe James Maddison after what Tottenham boss said about Chelsea match
Dan Bardell thinks Giovani Lo Celso could replace James Maddison for Tottenham after Ange Postecoglu suggested he could be benched after a run of poor performances.
Spurs returned to Premier League action after two weeks with a 3-2 defeat against Arsenal in a generally disappointing North London derby performance.
Maddison was hooked after 64 minutes by Postecoglou as he made it six games without a goal or an assist.
Now Bardell has suggested that the Englishman may be benched and has named a surprising option to replace him against Chelsea.
Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, Bardell said: “Maddison hasn’t been the same player since coming back from injury. He’s struggled to impact games and his numbers aren’t there.
“He’s struggling for form but recently Spurs generally have been quite patchy. There are options to replace Maddison.
“I feel sorry for Lo Celso, he’s a really clever footballer that I like. He manipulates space well, he’s good in tight spaces and is good on the ball while carrying a goal threat.
“Postecoglu does have another option there. It’s interesting him talking about Maddison so openly and saying he might drop him, maybe he’s trying to give him a little bit of a rocket to fire him up and provide a performance.”
Should James Maddison be dropped for Tottenham?
“Madders has got to find his way out of it.” These were the words of Postecoglou ahead of his side’s clash against Chelsea in yet another London derby.
Maddison last got on the scoresheet nearly two months ago in the terrific 4-0 win against Aston Villa away from home (10 March).
Since then he has failed to score or assist against relegation-treated sides like Luton Town and Nottingham Forest.
Maddison also had little impact in important games against top sides like West Ham, Newcastle United and Arsenal.
He had made a great impact on Spurs after his move from Leicester City to begin with. According to FotMob, the Englishman has scored four goals and assisted seven in his 23 starts but he has missed ten games.
Against Arsenal, he managed 56 touches and managed to maintain a 92 per cent pass accuracy. He failed to complete a dribble or have a shot on target [FotMob].
Add to this a cross-completion of 14 per cent and a duel win rate of 25 per cent, he was extremely passive in the derby.
Potentially being dropped to the bench could give him time to refind his form and make a better impact off the bench.
In other Tottenham news, Sergio Reguilon wants to get “out” of North London after a new transfer update at Brentford
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