 |
| It was pointed out that Tottenham's vice captain James Maddison could be the cause of Tottenham's poor performance. The Athletic said on the 22nd (Korea time) 'Tottenham's replacement player who changed the game and season 'Madison was replaced after the first half. This replacement completely changed the dynamics of the midfield. It's not Madison's fault, but Sarr showed more activity. Tottenham then scored three goals to destroy West Ham, which was a completely successful gamble.REUTERS Yonhap News |
|
 |
| It was pointed out that Tottenham's vice captain James Maddison could be the cause of Tottenham's poor performance. The Athletic said on the 22nd (Korea time) 'Tottenham's replacement player who changed the game and season 'Madison was replaced after the first half. This replacement completely changed the dynamics of the midfield. It's not Madison's fault, but Sarr showed more activity. Tottenham then scored three goals to destroy West Ham, which was a completely successful gamble.AFP Yonhap News |
|
 |
| It was pointed out that Tottenham's vice captain James Maddison could be the cause of Tottenham's poor performance. The Athletic said on the 22nd (Korea time) 'Tottenham's replacement player who changed the game and season 'Madison was replaced after the first half. This replacement completely changed the dynamics of the midfield. It's not Madison's fault, but Sarr showed more activity. Tottenham then scored three goals to destroy West Ham, which was a completely successful gamble.REUTERS Yonhap News |
|
It was pointed out that Tottenham's vice captain James Maddison could be the cause of Tottenham's poor performance.
For Tottenham, if they continue to perform well in the absence of Madison, they will inevitably be concerned about using Madison.
Global sports media The Athletic paid attention to Tottenham's choice against West Ham, saying on the 22nd (Korea time) 'Tottenham's replacement player who changed the game and season'.
Tottenham won 4-1 in the eighth round of the English Premier League (EPL) in the 2024-2025 season against West Ham at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on the 19th.
The first thing that drew attention in the game was Son Heung-min's return. Son Heung-min missed three matches after the Europa League match against Karabakh, and chose to rest instead of joining the national team during the A-match period in October. Son Heung-min, who came back new, showed a great performance. Son Heung-min scored a goal pass in the process of leading to Yves Bissouma's score in the 6th minute of the second half when the team was in a 1-1 situation, and later induced Alphonso Areola's own goal. Finally, he scored directly and led the team to a great victory.
 |
| ReutersYonhap News |
|
However, apart from Tottenham's great victory, there was a player at the center of the controversy. It was Madison. Madison, who started the game on the day, had to leave the ground after playing only 45 minutes in the first half. Enze Postecoglou made an unconventional replacement at the start of the second half by putting Papesar in place of Madison. Since then, Tottenham has scored three goals in the second half alone, and Postecoglou's choice has received a lot of favorable reviews.
However, The Athletic believed that what the replacement meant could not be more than just a one-game victory. Madison's departure could be a plan for Tottenham to penetrate the entire season.
The Athletic said 'Madison is one of the most recognizable players on the team. He has a field of vision and a pass range to penetrate a team that has been brought down. West Ham's entire defender and midfielder camped in the box in the first half. Madison moved wide and caused problems for his opponent by linking him with Destiny Udo and Son Heung-min. 'He led the counterattack that led to Dejan Kulusevski's equalizer' referring to Madison's performance in the first half against West Ham.
 |
| ReutersYonhap News |
|
Despite his performance, Madison's replacement brought about a bigger change in performance. The Athletic said 'Madison was replaced at the end of the first half. This replacement completely changed the dynamics of the midfield. It's not Madison's fault, but Sarr showed more activity. Tottenham then scored three goals to destroy West Ham, which was a completely successful gamble. Postecoglou also explained that his ability to run was crucial to Tottenham's advantage.
Postecoglou also said in a post-match interview that he was aware of the benefits. Postecoglou said "The opposing midfielders were big, physically strong, and technically outstanding. I had to win such a battle, and when they connected the ball to the front, it was really intimidating. Because it's all dynamic. We had to stop it, and I think we did a good job"Sar's second-half substitution input blocked the opponent's dynamics."
actually getting Madison and Sarr's touchmap?u positioned Sarr much deeper, defending the dynamic advance of the opposing midfield more effectively. Madison, on the other hand, spent most of his time up front, and it was difficult to find much influence, especially in the defensive part. This analysis is a factor that can greatly affect Tottenham's future season schedule.
 |
| ReutersYonhap News |
|
In addition, if there is a part where the problem of the attack centered on Madison is linked to Son Heung-min's frustrating score at the beginning of the season, Tottenham is not in the watermelon to be more worried. With the recruitment of Dominic Solanke this season, Son Heung-min has kept his position as a familiar left winger instead of the one-top he played last season. However, there was a large variation in influence in each game at the beginning of the season. Some games showed influence with offensive points, such as the match against Everton and Brentford, but others did not easily choose to break through or shoot in a frustrating attack situation.
In this situation, the part that can be a solution is counterattack tactics. However, there are not many cases where counterattack tactics are effectively deployed when using Madison. Son Heung-min's strengths were sometimes not revealed as the line was raised around Madison and midfielders, fullbacks, and strikers were all located near the opponent's box.
 |
| ReutersYonhap News |
|
The Athletic said 'The counter-attack using transition fits the profile of Tottenham's strikers. Son Heung-min succeeded with Harry Kane in Jose Mourinho's counterattack, and Johnson also excelled in breaking through in open space. Using Kulusevski as No. 8 means keeping Tottenham at pace in a wide range, and Kulusevski is strong in pressure', he said, explaining that leaving the role to Kulusevski instead of Madison will inevitably have a good effect on the performance of Tottenham wingers, including Son Heung-min.
He also pointed out that the flow is already going over. The Athletic said 'In the future, this replacement could be considered the moment Madison handed the torch to his colleague. Kulusevski is Tottenham's best player this season. He showed his potential as an attacking midfielder instead of a wing. Last season Tottenham revolved around Madison. Now, Kulusevski is making headlines, and the rest of the players are structured to show their strengths,' he said, analyzing that the team is already being formed around Kulusevski.
 |
| ReutersYonhap News |
|
Meanwhile, the fact that Tottenham wanted Madison's rival last summer, along with this situation, could lead to the possibility of a player who will change Madison's position in the upcoming winter transfer market.
Tottenham had announced last summer that they wanted to sign Nottingham Forest attacking midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White. Gibbs-White is a former Wolverhampton top prospect and is one of the players in the EPL stage as a solid starting player even after his transfer to Nottingham. It is also in line with this criticism that he is a player with mobility and dynamism compared to Madison.
Madison was pointed out as one of the elements of Tottenham's poor performance in recent games. The decision except Madison does not have a big effect every game, but if the changes shown in the match against West Ham continue to be positive, Tottenham will likely reconsider its tactics centered on Kulusevski, not Madison.
digh1229@sportschosun.com
