Former Tottenham Hotspur player Glen Hoddle didn’t mince words when assessing James Maddison’s recent performance against Chelsea.
Maddison joined Tottenham from Leicester City last summer for £40m and made an instant impact, both on and off the pitch.
He quickly established himself as a key creative force for the team, filling the void left by Christian Eriksen. In his first 11 appearances, he contributed with three goals and five assists.
However, a November injury setback against Chelsea sidelined him until late January, and since his return, Maddison has struggled to replicate his earlier form. With just one goal and two assists in 13 games, his performances have been underwhelming, raising concerns among fans and pundits alike.
After his poor performance against Arsenal, Ange dropped Maddison to the bench for the game against Chelsea.
He came off the bench to play 27 minutes of the game, but continued to disappoint.
Hoddle, commenting on Maddison’s performance, highlighted the absence of end product, echoing the frustration felt by many Tottenham supporters.
Speaking on the Premier League Productions, he said (quotes via TBR):
“None of them did, Bentancur had a couple of chances and he didn’t have his shooting boots on today. Maddison got on the ball, but there was nothing, there was no end product, that was Tottenham, that summed them up.”
Maddison’s dip in form has left everyone surprised, specially since he has been one of the most consistent players over the years.
Even during Leicester’s difficult spell last season, Maddison continued to shine, contributing 10 goals and 9 assists.
It is now up to Ange and his team to probe into what has caused the recent downfall of Maddison and find a way to get him performing again ahead of the big games against Liverpool and Manchester City.
