Chris Sutton has issued his verdict on the performance of James Maddison as Tottenham Hotspur suffered a disappointing defeat at Liverpool on Sunday.
Spurs have now suffered four losses on the spin, but this was a much better performance from Ange Postecoglou‘s side up against a Liverpool team who appear to be determined to send Jurgen Klopp off in the best possible way now that their title hopes have been all but dashed.
It did appear that Tottenham were set to be on the receiving end of a thrashing, with the Reds taking a 4-0 lead inside the hour-mark.
Chris Sutton reacts to James Maddison’s display in Tottenham defeat
Postecoglou responded to Harvey Elliott’s goal by swiftly throwing on Oliver Skipp, James Maddison and Richarlison, and the changes seemed to work for Spurs who scored twice in the final 20 minutes to create some tension.
Richarlison definitely played an important role in the response, scoring once and making some really clever runs which caused problems for the Liverpool backline.
But speaking on 606 (broadcast on 5/5; 18:39), Chris Sutton suggested that he was really impressed by Maddison after he came off the bench.
“I think the truth is that Spurs at this moment in time, they have been really inconsistent as of late. Also, Maddison was on the bench. He came on actually and made a huge impact today,” he said.
Chelsea defeat proving a defining moment in Spurs’ season
It has been a really turbulent season for the 27-year-old. He made an absolutely flying start to the campaign, with some tipping Maddison to be an early contender for the player of the season.
Unfortunately, he sustained an injury in that ridiculous game with Chelsea in November, and there is an argument that he has not been the same player since that game.
Since that fixture, Maddison has scored just one goal and provided two assists in the Premier League. Clearly, that is not good enough for a player of his ability and quality, and it surely puts a huge question mark over whether he will be in England’s squad at Euro 2024 this summer.
That Chelsea game was a real turning point for Tottenham after they had led the way in the Premier League in the opening weeks of the season.
Maddison is potentially one of those who has just not been able to build on the glimpses he has shown in recent months.
But hopefully for Tottenham, his bright cameo against Liverpool is a positive sign ahead of next season as Spurs look to build on what has, ultimately, been a really promising first year under Postecoglou.