Chris Sutton believes James Maddison should not worry about securing England’s Euro 2024 spot despite his poor form at Tottenham. He supported Ange Postecgolou after four defeats in a row.
Maddison started the season in great form under the Australian coach following his £42million move from Leicester, as he contributed three goals and five assists in his first 12 games of the season – before suffering a long-term injury in November.
The 27-year-old returned in January but has not been the same player since, with just one goal and two assists – with no goals since March. As a result, Postecoglou has named him on the bench for the last two games against Chelsea and Liverpool.
But despite fears that Maddison’s poor form could miss out on a place at the 2024 European Championship this summer, Sutton believes he still has enough quality to be included following the news that manager Gareth Southgate can choose 26 players instead of 23 .
Speaking on Mail Sport’s It’s All Kicking Off podcast, Sutton says the player should not ‘sweat’ over his inclusion, insisting he has given a ‘good response’ since being dropped by his manager.
James Maddison should not worry about Euro 2024 spot despite poor form, says Chris Sutton
Sutton welcomed Maddison’s response since being dropped by boss Ange Postecoglou
His podcast co-host Ian Ladyman said: ‘I think he will sweat a bit at his place in England. And he could be one of those who benefit from UEFA ruled last week that there will be 26-man squads for the European Championships instead of 23, as he might have to be one of the last three places.’
Sutton added: “That’s why he won’t sweat. I think you are right about its shape.
‘I don’t necessarily think many Spurs fans would have been surprised that he had dropped out. No one has the divine right to play when his or her form diminishes. His form dropped. And he actually came over and it was a good response from him.
‘He didn’t grumble or throw his toys out of the pram, he just came trotting around. He made the difference and that’s what you have to do as a player. But he’s going to Germany, I’m absolutely sure of that.’
He believes Maddison will benefit if Gareth Southgate (R) can put together a bigger squad
Sutton was also asked by Ladyman what he thought of the recent pressure on Postecoglou after presiding over four successive defeats, with questions raised about the manager’s tactics after seeing his side being cut apart on the counter-attack – and also looking vulnerable through set pieces. .
But the former Celtic striker – who has been a staunch supporter of Postecoglou – said the coach must be judged ‘fairly’ throughout the season after finding himself in a difficult situation last summer.
“I always felt like there would be bumps in the road,” he said. ‘I thought that was normal. Under him they overperformed in many ways at the start. And then, as is the norm, everyone jumped on the bandwagon and got carried away. They’ve had a bad spell recently, but I think you have to judge him fairly as the season progresses.
‘Tottenham played a negative brand of football. He’s come in and played for an expanded brand. They previously had Jeffrey Boycott and now they have Ian Botham at Postecoglou. And with that and with that come the risks.
Sutton also defended the ‘thick-skinned’ Postecoglou after receiving criticism over poor results
‘They have been mercilessly exposed recently, but I think Tottenham fans should be happy with what they have seen all season long.’
When asked what Postecoglou would think after fans and pundits questioned his set-piece positioning and lack of plan B, Sutton insisted he would ‘bulldoze’ any doubters.
“I think he has thick skin,” Sutton added. “I think he’ll just bulldoze through this. All he cares about is how his team performs. Performance is everything. Some of the comments he made were picked up by a lot of people because of the comments about the Champions League, because he wasn’t the only one.
‘His entire coaching career revolves around whether the team performs well and the results will follow. And that’s his kind of mantra. So on set pieces, the point he was making with that is that it was a broader picture. It wasn’t just about set pieces. It was about improvement in all areas.
He backed the Australian to navigate his way through criticism of tactics and set pieces
Sutton said Spurs fans should be ‘careful’ about questioning Postecoglou after poor football under his predecessors
“I think he’s just cutting the waffle. He can’t be bothered by that. He knows where he wants to go.
‘If you take everything back, this season at Tottenham has been a success. Tottenham are not a team that wins trophies. So we know what the Tottenham fans wanted. He gave that to them.
‘We were now at a stage where I think Tottenham fans have to be a bit cautious because what would the alternative be?
‘It’s about rebuilding now and they’ve got someone with them who wants to rebuild and wants to do it a certain way and he’s not going to change – and Tottenham fans know he’s not going to change – so if I were them I’d enjoy it the ride and just keep going.”