Ange Postecoglou describes one Tottenham star as ‘a loveable little rouge’

Ange Postecoglou has admitted that James Maddison’s return serves as a huge boost to Tottenham, not only because of the midfielder’s qualities as a football but also because of the leadership attributes he possesses.

There was understandably a lot of excitement last summer among Spurs fans surrounding Maddison’s arrival, given the outstanding output that he had produced for a struggling Leicester City side in the previous couple of years.

However, the 27-year-old has managed to exceed most people’s expectations with the impact he has made in North London, quickly establishing himself as one of the club’s most important players, and showing just how impactful he can be in a system that suits him.

Postecoglou admitted that Maddison is the sort of player who loves the limelight and has the ability to get supporters off their seats.

The Tottenham head coach told Football.London about the attacking midfielder: “He is exciting to watch. He’s a creative player and invariably supporters love those kinds of players who can do something a little bit different.

“Part of it is the way he carries himself. Madders likes to be, for want of a better term, in the spotlight. In the right way. He doesn’t shy away from the responsibility.

“He’s in the team to create and be a force and he embraces that, and I think our supporters enjoy to see one of their own stand up in that kind of environment. It’s a combination of things, and he’s just a loveable little rogue mate. Apparently.”

Maddison did not enjoy watching from the sidelines

Postecolgou revealed that the former Foxes star did not find it easy dealing with being sidelined for three months.

When asked about Maddison’s time on the treatment table, the Spurs boss said: “He doesn’t mind a moan. When he was injured he wasn’t great. He’s a very upbeat guy and not short of a word which is not a bad thing.

“Characters and personalities like that are very important in a dressing room, provided they back it up on the field. For me, that’s always the ultimate measure, and he’s more than backed it up on the field.”

The 58-year-old acknowledged that the Tottenham midfielder faces a battle to get into England’s starting eleven for Euro 2024, suggesting that the desire to do so could drive him on to dominate games for Spurs.

When asked about Maddison’s chances of establishing himself as a regular in Gareth Southgate’s eleven, Postecoglou responded: “I’d like to think that can be an inspiration for him. I don’t think there’s a reason why what he does at club level is not transferable to the international level but that depends on team structure and the other players in the team.

“There’s got to be a chemistry there. As much as there might be a universe where that exists you can’t have 11 James Maddisons in your team. You need other kinds, different types of players, that’s the chemistry we’re all after where you’ve got a bit of everything in your team.

“That’s the challenge for every manager, how do you fit all these pieces into a beautiful puzzle? Sometimes we try and jam them into spaces where they don’t fit.”

Spurs Web Opinion

While everyone had acknowledged Maddison’s talent during his Leicester days, it is fair to say that most people did not realise just how good the 27-year-old was until his move to Tottenham.

The England international has evidently taken his game up to a new level and you can see that he absolutely relishes the challenge of playing on the big stage.