Credit: Imago

Paul Robinson

Sat 1 March 2025 17:10, UK

James Maddison has received his fair share of criticism at Tottenham throughout the current campaign, and it appears as though Ange Postecoglou is to blame for that.

There is no hiding from the fact that it has been a dismal season for Tottenham, one that has opened up a lot of uncertainty over the ability of certain players.

Maddison is one of those to have been targeted by several pundits and even fans at times, with plenty of criticism directed towards the midfielder.

Despite being one of the key players in this Tottenham side, Maddison has had his credentials under heavy scrutiny as of late, with his feud with Roy Keane hitting the headlines most recently, but there seems to be one reason behind his downturn of form.

Maddison has more to give at Tottenham

Maddison hasn’t been at his best this season, and that’s likely something he would even admit himself. However, for him to be forced to shoulder a lot of the frustration from this campaign is somewhat unwarranted.

It hasn’t been a good campaign, but much of that is down to the fact that players have been asked to play unfamiliar roles by Postecoglou amid the previous injury crisis, with Paul Robinson sharing that as the main reason behind the midfielder not being at his best.

Speaking exclusively to 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.”

Postecoglou must learn from past failures at Tottenham

If Postecoglou is to avoid the sack at the end of the season, he simply has to realise where he went wrong in the current campaign.

There has to be an air of sympathy in regard to the injury situation he has been forced to deal with, but the way he has adapted to that is where he went wrong.

In fact, he didn’t adapt to it, and that is the biggest problem. Players were being shoehorned into positions and roles to suit the way he wanted to play, as opposed to him finding a way to get the best out of those available.

There are definitely many lessons to be learnt from what has been a disappointing season.