Tottenham's new number 10 put in a superb performance as his side drew 2-2 with Arsenal last week. Photo: EPA/Tolga Akmen
James Maddison is quickly becoming one of my favorite Premier League footballers; he plays and talks like he's from a bygone era.
Maddison has a cheeky charm on and off the pitch – a maverick who reminds you of 1970s icons Rodney Marsh or Frank Worthington. He wants to entertain the ball and has no filter when asked for his opinion. You can't be sure if he's talking about the game or recreating a scene from The Inbetweeners.
“When I go out with the family for a roast dinner, I like to be the main man,” was a typical funny comment earlier this season, as was Bukayo Saka's failed attempt last weekend to celebrate his goal by simulating a game of darts.< /p>< p>“He must have still been doing it when I turned him around for the first goal. What he did was appalling,” Maddison said.
When he mentioned “Daniel” on the day he was introduced after his £45m move from Leicester City, I wasn’t sure if he had referring to his new boss Daniel Levy or his pub buddy.
< p>Given some of Maddison's recent comments, you'd think he'd been at Spurs for six years rather than six games.
After Tottenham's superb 2-2 draw with Arsenal, he said this. < /p>
“Fans and neutrals talk about Tottenham, they often say: “soft, weak, bottle it up, Spursy”, all this is nonsense. I think the last couple of weeks show that we may be moving in a slightly different direction.”
You'd think he was a veteran who had lived through an era of failure rather than a newbie who had just taken over the jersey of Harry Kane. The fact that he was willing to bear the weight of the number 10 shirt is further proof of Maddison's belief in himself.
Maddison has already proven his popularity among Tottenham fans and his new teammates. Photo: Getty Images/Ryan Pierce
There are too many players in the modern game who think that media training means eliminating traces of identity, and their idea of the ideal TV or newspaper interview is to not give anything away for fear of a negative headline.
It's great to see that top players like Maddison take a 'what you see is what you get' approach. The PR people probably sweat every time he speaks. Manchester City's Jack Grealish is cut from the same cloth. We should appreciate and celebrate such people, and take their comments in the spirit of what was intended.
We'll certainly need a larger sample size before backing Maddison's claims that Spurs' soft days are over. Saturday's visit to Liverpool is their latest test after their role at Arsenal last weekend. They have made a very encouraging start under the new coach and Maddison has played a fundamental role in their turnaround.
His return style extends to his role on the field. With utmost respect to Maddison and Spurs, this explains why his options over the summer did not include Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool.
I have no doubt that everyone was keeping an eye on him at ” Leicester and at some point in the last three years considered signing him. The reason they said no is because Maddison's most effective position is unfashionable for elite coaches.
Maddison stands out most as an outright number 10 in the last six years – or certainly since Pep Guardiola took the 4th spot. 3-3 have come to dominate world football – such players are an endangered species.
There was a time when every creative player fancied himself as a number 10. The role became so coveted that I rolled my eyes every time a teammate told the team that this was their preferred position because they felt frustrated being on the sidelines, denying them a chance to make a play.
The position is now seen as a luxury, typified in recent times by someone like Mesut Ozil, who, for all his skill, has given the impression that the most difficult yards must be covered by ball-winning midfielders. while he provided assists.
Jurgen Klopp inherited the number 10 from Philippe Coutinho, but it was only after the Brazilian left Anfield that the team became more balanced and Liverpool won their biggest trophies.
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I suspect Guardiola, Klopp, Mikel Arteta and Mauricio Pochettino have taken a closer look at Maddison and have been more impressed by what he doesn't do than by his qualities.
In their best teams, Guardiola and Klopp expect versatile attackers the players or midfielders will take charge of the game. those who once positioned themselves just behind the main striker.
Maddison is not the quickest and does not stand out as someone who can start the game with high pressing. He doesn't have the natural athleticism of a number eight and is less effective as a wide forward cutting inside.
He links midfield and attack brilliantly, is deceptively quick on the ball and is technically excellent in his quick tracking and attacking. plays a pass that splits the defense.
Maddison's style is not something we see often in today's Premier League. Photo: Getty Images/Mark Atkins
In a period of transition at a club in dire need of a spark following the sale of Kane, Spurs have emerged as the perfect club at the right time under the perfect coach. Credit to Ange Postecoglou for figuring out how to make the most of Maddison's opportunities, encouraging him to spray some creative dust while the manager enjoys the players he inherited.
For now, Spurs fans have had enough to see the team up front and playing creative football, a great start for the team that exceeded their expectations at the start of a new era. Maddison has become a symbol of fans' growing feeling that they have “taken their Spurs back”.
In the long term, it will be interesting to see whether Postecoglou believes Maddison is so good that he can build a team around his creativity or whether he feels he needs some work, as there is an obvious danger of allowing too much to flow through one creative player, no matter how his form is good.
Tactically, having a real number ten can be a problem against the best opponents.
Gareth Southgate preferred Maddison as number eight in England's 4-3-3 formation. To justify allowing him to be a number 10 at the highest level, his goals and assist numbers will need to be high.
Maddison has been delivering results so far, with his attacking numbers putting him at the top of the pack in all areas. No player made more passes into the opponent's penalty area, and only Erling Haaland had more shots on goal. With Liverpool still without a traditional number six, Maddison may have gaps he can exploit on Saturday.
At the moment, Maddison looks like the prototypical Spurs player, continuing in the tradition of Paul Gascoigne and Glenn Hoddle is a man who brings a smile to fans' faces.
Football is always more enjoyable when characters like Maddison view the game as an art rather than a science. He is one of those rare footballers who is adored by home fans and even rival fans can't help but feel sympathy for him.
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