James Maddison has now come out with some comments which do not exactly line up with what Ange Postecoglou has had to say.
Tottenham Hotspur were able to secure all three points in their game on Sunday against Nottingham Forest.
And the victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was enough to take the Lilywhites back into the top four of the Premier League table.
Timo Werner proved to be a real threat down the left flank once again as he provided the cross for the opening goal.
But it was the defenders who stole the headlines in the second half as Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro found the back of the net with two stunning strikes.
Porro and his defensive teammate Cristian Romero were both left seriously impressed with the Dutchman who netted his first goal on home soil.
Three points have taken Spurs above Aston Villa on goal difference but with a game in hand on their nearest top four rivals.
Ange Postecoglou‘s side now have a seriously tough run of games coming up over the next few weeks with a trip to Newcastle United to come on the weekend.
However, it seems he and one of his players may not quite be aligned on some of their thoughts going into the business end of the season.
James Maddison and Postecoglou not singing off the same hymn sheet
With the opportunity to go three points clear of Villa by the time Unai Emery’s side next take to the pitch, Sunday was a huge win for Spurs.
The Lilywhites now firmly hold the cards in the race for fourth spot and a place in the Champions League.
Spurs legend Glenn Hoddle has now said he feels as if Tottenham may have enough to pip Villa to a top four finish.
It has to be caveated that fifth place could also secure a spot in the Champions League for next season.
READ MORE: Get to know Tottenham Hotspur’s dart-throwing, ink-plastered superstar James Maddison
But Spurs will still be wanting to finish as high as possible and it only goes to show the progression made under the Australian.
And the 58-year-old has made it very clear to the media that he is not bothered about finishing fourth; he wants to see his squad develop into a better side.
After the game on Sunday, Postecoglou told the press: “Couldn’t care less about the race for fourth mate. What I care about is the way the team is progressing. Pleased with today. It had a little bit of everything. We started the game well, not just the goal, I thought we controlled the game well.”
However, it seems that may not be a message which rings true within the Spurs squad as Maddison had some contrasting comments to make after the game against Forest.
The 27-year-old midfielder was speaking to The Standard at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and admitted he is focused on a top four finish.
“I get the manager not wanting to talk about [finishing in the top four], but I am not going to lie to your face and say you don’t think about that, because we want to be in the Champions League,” Maddison said.
“This club needs to be in the Champions League, [it’s] non-negotiable really, and that’s the aim. That’s why we’ll try to finish strong and get that.”
Micky van de Ven also issued an interesting outlook on the top four race
The standout star on Sunday was Van de Ven who we awarded an impressive 9/10 in our player ratings for his dominant display.
The Dutchman made the move to Spurs despite the club not playing any form of European football this season.
But it is clear he has a spot in next season’s Champions League on his mind as he told The Guardian of his focus on fourth spot.
“We know about the coefficients, you look at it but it’s not like I’ll be supporting West Ham,” he said.
“We are not focusing on fifth. We want to come fourth or even higher. We want to finish in a position where we make sure.”