England were held to 1-1 draw against Ukraine last night and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder James Maddison was criticised for his underwhelming performance.
The 26-year-old midfielder has been outstanding for Tottenham since joining the club but his performance against Ukraine in the Euro qualifiers on Saturday was rather underwhelming.
The Spurs midfielder failed to create any clear-cut opportunities for his teammates and he did not get on the scoresheet either. A number of media outlets rated his performance as mediocre.
The Sun handed him a rating of around 5 out of 10 and claimed that Maddison did not do enough with the ball and he failed to replicate his form with Tottenham.
Sky Sports rated his performance a 6 out of 10 and they criticised his defensive contribution as well.
Meanwhile, the Guardian rated him as a 6 and described his performance as sloppy and frustrating.
The Sun wrote: “An opportunity missed for Maddison following his sensational form for Spurs.
“This was only his fourth England appearance and while he saw plenty of the ball, did not do enough with it.
“Could have no complaints over being replaced.”
Sky Sports added: “Despite a brilliant start to life at Tottenham, Maddison did not bring that form to Poland.
“A lack of tracking back on the left saw former Leicester team-mate Chilwell exposed too often, especially for the opener.
“Booked in the 35th minute for a terrible challenge on Yukhym Konoplya and almost looked to be trying too hard at times, which led to wasted moments
“There was heart, but not a lot of finish. Substituted in the 65th minute.”
The Guardian noted: “A mixed bag. Some clever runs into pockets opening things up for England but a number of sloppy moments causing frustration.”
Maddison is undoubtedly a top-class player who has shown his quality in the Premier League over the years.
However, he will need to grab his opportunities at the international level if he wants to cement a place in the starting lineup.
With the Euro 2024 coming up next summer, Maddison must add consistency to his game if he wants to be a key member of Gareth Southgate’s squad.
