ESPN pundit Steve Nicol has surprisingly criticised James Maddison despite Tottenham’s 2-0 win over Manchester United on the weekend.
Tottenham’s midfield trio of Yves Bissouma, Pape Matar Sarr, and James Maddison dominated United’s midfield with the three of them perfectly complementing each other.
Bissouma has been one of the best player at Tottenham since Ange Postecoglou took over in the summer.
He was immense in the pre-season and has continued to impress in the first two games as he looks to have returned to his absolute best under the Australian manager.
And in the absence of Rodrigo Bentancur who is suffering from a long-term injury, the manager gave the 20-year-old Pape Matar Sarr the nod over Oliver Skipp to partner Bissouma.
And Sarr repaid his faith with a flawless performance. The young midfielder put in a solid performance and capped it off with a goal as well.
Meanwhile, Maddison at 10 was brilliant as usual and was almost involved in every Tottenham attack.
But Nicol has surprisingly criticised the former Leicester man claiming that he does nothing off the ball.
He told ESPN:
“If they can get Maddison on the ball on a more regular basis, then they will create.”
“I’m one of Maddison’s biggest critics because without the ball, for me, he does nothing.
“But you know what, he’s got Sarr and Bissouma to get him the ball. And if the two of them can continue the way they did today for the rest of the season, they’ll get Maddison the ball. And we might see the real James Maddison going forward.”
Nicol’s assessment of the attacking midfielder is extremely harsh. Maddison’s work rate was admirable off the ball. He was the driving force in front of the two central midfielders propelling the team forward.
His start to the Tottenham career has been brilliant and has already assisted two goals in 2 starts.
The trio of Bissouma, Sarr and Maddison could be one to watch if they continue to play the way they played against United.
