Spurs vice-captain is in danger of losing his place in the team, says Cascarino

Tony Cascarino says one Spurs vice-captain needs to impose himself on matches more, or he could be dropped from Tottenham Hotspur’s starting lineup.

Maddison hooked at half-time against West Ham

Maddison has not started the season badly, but with Spurs looking ever stronger in the centre of the park, his performances may not be at the level that is needed for him to remain a first-choice midfielder. That’s according to Tony Cascarino, anyway.

With Maddison failing once more to be selected for England, he spent a weekend without competitive football, and will have been happy to get back in action. But some will argue he did not make enough of an impact in his first-half performance against West Ham United.

Although the 27-year-old assisted Dejan Kulusevski for Tottenham’s first goal, when he was afforded time and space by West Ham’s players to run freely through the middle of the pitch, his overall display was average at best, and he overhit almost every corner he took.

To make things worse for Maddison, Pape Matar Sarr was excellent after replacing him, providing Spurs with more energy and control in the midfield, as well as playing a brilliant drilled ball to Heung-Min-Son for Tottenham’s fourth goal. 

During his time on the pitch, Sarr covered more ground, made more sprints and intensive runs, and won more duels than Maddison, which will not bode well for the Englishman (BBC MOTD).

Cascarino thinks Maddison could be dropped

Writing for The Sunday Times, Cascarino has criticised Maddison’s display against West Ham, specifically targeting his work rate and poor balls into the box. 

He said: “I liked that he [Postecoglou] was prepared to make a big call and withdraw James Maddison at half-time. It would have sent a message to every player that their place is not assured after the Brighton debacle. 

“Maddison was a big signing last year and I have no doubt he would have taken the timing of the substitution personally. Winning 4-1 would not change anything for him. I was once hooked at the break playing for Ireland against Macedonia and I felt embarrassed and thought I had been made a scapegoat. All players would feel that way.

“Postecoglou can manage the situation but Maddison may reflect on his delivery, especially from corners, and work rate.

“Maddison is no longer a promising young player. He turns 28 next month and needs to impose himself on matches. He finds himself out of the England squad and his starting place for Spurs is no longer guaranteed.”

What does the future hold for Maddison?

If Kulusevski continues to play as well as he did on Saturday, he will be way ahead of Maddison in the pecking order, while Sarr and goalscorer, Yves Bissouma, were both impressive and deserve to start Tottenham’s next league match

While Maddison’s two goals and three assists in eight league appearances are okay (Transfer Markt), there is more to football than statistics and ultimately Maddison has not been consistent enough. If he wants to keep starting for Spurs, he needs to show up and make valuable contributions every game and play a part in making the team better.

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