Ange Postecoglou must axe James Maddison for Tottenham v Arsenal

Tottenham: 'Aggressive' James Maddison must be axed v Arsenal, Postecoglou can't trust him

Senior Correspondent AUTHORITY Senior football journalist specialising in refereeing and officiating; former contributor to The Football League Paper, Late Tackle, and the Premier League; University of Derby graduate. FOCUS Refereeing controversies, football finance and governance, PGMOL decisions, and officiating analysis across the Premier League, EFL, and SPFL. THE INSIGHT Harri utilises a network of officiating and industry contacts to deliver verified, expert analysis of refereeing decisions and PGMOL policy. He provides the regulatory clarity behind the controversy to ensure fans get the full picture.

Published on:

15 Apr 2024, 2:40 pm

James Maddison will have lost Ange Postecoglou's trust with his recent on-pitch antics and must be axed as Tottenham prepare for the North London derby with Arsenal on Sunday (28 April).

The Spurs vice-captain has been the subject of multiple scathing reviews in recent matches, having been involved in incidents against Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United.

Despite a comfortable 3-1 win over Forest, the match was overshadowed by Maddison, who appeared to punch Ryan Yates in the stomach, though VAR was unable to find enough evidence to warrant a sending-off, much to everyone's surprise.

Postecoglou would have wanted his creative midfielder to calm down and remove himself from any contentious decisions, as his side took on Newcastle on Saturday 13 April.

Though Alan Hutton believes his "aggressive" style makes him the player he is, his recent antics on the pitch will come as a huge disappointment to Postecoglou.

The 4-0 thrashing at St James' Park should be the least of his worries after Maddison's dangerous tackle on Jacob Murphy, earning him another yellow card, and some suggesting he was lucky to stay on the pitch once again.

Ange Postecoglou must drop James Maddison in Tottenham v Arsenal

As well as being involved in these controversial moments, the 27-year-old's form has also dropped in recent weeks, which could explain a build-up of frustration bubbling to the surface.

Despite maintaining a 90 per cent pass completion against the Magpies, Maddison could only get 50 per cent of his shots on target, as well as complete 25 per cent of his dribbles. [FotMob]

He also registered a 0 per cent accuracy with long balls and disappointed the fans by only winning 44 per cent of his ground duels.

Remember when Soucek unintentionally raised his arm against Fulham and got sent off?

Clear evidence here that Maddison punches someone in the stomach and NOTHING?

The only consistency we've got is that it's consistently bad! pic.twitter.com/JVb4d0jnUa
— Fella (@FPLFella) April 7, 2024

Many expected his 50 per cent dribbling success and 33 per cent crossing accuracy against Forest to be a one-off, but with the display that he followed it up with, Postecoglou has no choice but to drop him against Arsenal. [FotMob]

The removal of the England international could make room for Dejan Kulusevski, who could be crucial to getting a result against Spurs' North London rivals.

In other Tottenham news, a points deduction has been mooted in North London after a Premier League announcement last week.

For more Tottenham news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.

Tottenham

Ange Postecoglou

James Maddison

Arsenal