James Maddison slammed as ‘creative genius’ scoffed at in Tottenham loss
Tottenham stars James Maddison and Son Heung-min let their side down in a 1-0 loss to AZ Alkmaar, according to Jamie O’Hara.
Ange Postecoglou will be sacked by Daniel Levy, unless he wins the Europa League, according to Simon Jordan.
The Australian will be feeling the pressure, following a 1-0 loss to AZ Alkmaar, following a howler of an own-goal from Lucas Bergvall.
Whilst Mathys Tel and Brennan Johnson both played poorly, O’Hara was particularly critical of some of Spurs’ more established stars.
Heung-Min Son and James Maddison go missing when it counts for Tottenham
The former Tottenham midfielder, was critical of the way the “leaders” Son and Maddison failed to take control of the game.
Whilst AZ moved the ball around well, and former Tottenham striker Troy Parrott should have scored, the Dutch side were not pushed to their limits by Spurs.
Speaking on Sky Sports News, O’Hara did not hold back in his criticisms of the North London side’s established stars, saying (6.35pm): “It’s been a pretty poor showing. Big players in the team, leaders, Son, Maddison, I need more from you. You’ve got to step up, you’ve got to take the game by the scruff of the neck.
“This AZ Alkmaar they’re a good side, playing well and they move the ball… they’re taking risks with it, they want to get at you.
“Spurs, I mean Son’s hardly touched it. Maddison, who’s meant to be the creative genius in there to unlock defences, has done absolutely nothing.”
| Match stats | AZ Alkmaar | Tottenham |
| Possession | 39% | 61% |
| Expected goals | 1.57 | 0.44 |
| Shots (on target) | 12 (5) | 7 (1) |
| Big chances (missed) | 4 (4) | 1 (1) |
| Corners | 7 | 2 |
Ange Postecoglou’s seat at Tottenham just got hotter
Football Insider Verdict
Postecoglou just cannot catch a break at Tottenham, in his second season with the club.
On the day he was announced as a nominee for the Premier League’s manager-of-the-month, his side put in one of their most tepid performances to date.
Last season, the high octane, never stop going, run your opponents into the ground style of football we saw from Spurs was electric, if at times, bordering on the absurd.
This season began similarly, but an injury crisis at Tottenham has seen Postecoglou stray from his infamous style of football.
Against AZ, who currently sit sixth in the Eredivisie, the former Celtic boss’ team painstakingly moved the ball from side-to-side, never really threatening to actually do anything with it.
Postecoglou has been under threat of losing his job at Spurs this season, and if his side perform like they did against their Dutch opponents on Thursday, the Australian manager will not last much longer in North London.