Ange Postecoglou makes James Maddison mistake - Tottenham XI v Arsenal

Ange Postecoglou could regret benching James Maddison against Arsenal in the Premier League on Wednesday.

Spurs take on the Gunners at the Emirates on 15 January, where Jamie Carragher thinks Postecoglou's side could be in serious trouble.

Harry Redknapp has also shared an ominous prediction ahead of kick-off, and should Spurs fail to achieve victory in the North London derby, they could fall as low as 14th in the Premier League if Manchester United beat Southampton at Old Trafford on Thursday (16 January).

This would only increase the pressure on Postecoglou, with Eddie Howe lurking in the background. Therefore, the Australian's decision to bench Maddison, as confirmed via the club's official X account (15 January), is a rather surprising one.

Ange Postecoglou benches Tottenham star James Maddison v Arsenal

Maddison was one of Spurs' better players in the disappointing 3-0 FA Cup third-round victory over non-league outfit Tamworth at the Lamb Ground on Sunday (12 January), which saw Jim White share a "laughable" verdict after the match.

As per Sofascore, the midfielder completed 87 per cent of his passes, with two of those key, while he also missed one big chance.

In addition, he succeeded with five of his six dribble attempts and managed five shots at goal overall, while also winning eight of his 11 ground duels.

Although it was against a non-league side, Maddison's performance was still better than that of his teammates, and the Englishman has proven in the past that he is a big-game player.

Therefore, the decision to bench him and start the relatively inexperienced Lucas Bergvall could prove costly to Postecoglou.

In other Tottenham news, José Mourinho has made contact with one player at the club.

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