James Maddison 'rolls his eyes' at Postecoglou for Tottenham hook - Gary Neville
Yesterday at 02:00 PM
James Maddison was spotted by Gary Neville reacting with frustration after being substituted once again by Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou in the defeat to Liverpool.
The attacker was named in the starting lineup for Spurs as they took on the Premier League leaders in North London on Sunday (22 December).
He came into the game having started six of the last eight matches his team had played, but having completed 90 minutes only once in that period, in a bruising Europa League encounter with Rangers.
It was a similar story for the 28-year-old against Liverpool at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Despite scoring with an excellent finish to make it 2-1 shortly before half-time in a game they eventually lost 6-3, Maddison was substituted with 58 minutes on the clock, being replaced by Brennan Johnson.
That did not go down well with the Tottenham ace either, something which was spotted by Neville.
Speaking on co-commentary on Sky Sports (5:46pm) after the attacker was withdrawn, the former Man United full-back noted: “He rolls his eyes James Maddison when he keeps getting hooked”.
Indeed, Maddison looked visibly unhappy on the Spurs bench after being taken off, holding his head in his hands as well.
James Maddison frustration at Tottenham hook is no surprise
Football Insider Opinion
Throughout his career, Maddison has always been a player who has looked as though he wants to play as much football as he possibly can.
As a result he will obviously have been disappointed to have seen his afternoon ended early here, especially given Tottenham played in a way that suggested they never felt they were out of the game.
Recent matches have also seen the 28-year-old show his immense quality and he may have felt as though he could still have made a contribution at the time of his substitution.
Ultimately though it is the manager’s call over what changes he makes, and at what point in the match he makes them.
It will therefore be interesting to see if Postecoglou will be forced to respond to how Maddison reacted to being taken off here, as he may want to avoid a drop in morale or too many shows off dissent to his calls, while reactions from star players could add to bad results to increase pressure on the Australian’s job.
For now with the ability he does possess, Tottenham will surely want to have him back involved from the start when they return to action against Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day.
In other news, Spurs fans were left fuming with one player’s performance against Liverpool.
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