Tottenham Hotspur have endured a difficult start to the 2024/25 campaign with only four points on the board from a possible nine.
Ange Postecoglou‘s side are beginning to make a habit of dominating games in the early stages of this season but failing to make it pay.
Against Newcastle United, Tottenham were comfortably the better aide, however, they were made to rue their missed opportunities by a clinical Toon side.
Thankfully for Spurs, there is now the first international break of the season which will give them some time to reflect on their start to the season.
But they will be returning from the break to the first North London Derby of the season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
And Postecoglou has a big decision to make over the coming week and a half as to whether he needs to make a major change for that game.
Ange Postecoglou has to drop James Maddison vs Arsenal
Since returning from injury, 2024 has proven a really difficult year for James Maddison who has simply not been able to find his best form.
There were some positive signs in the season opener against Leicester City but the midfielder has slumped back into his struggles.
Against Newcastle, Maddison looked weak and completely ineffective with Spurs struggling to make the most of their chances.
Even Roy Keane shared his disappointment in Maddison’s performance against Newcastle over the weekend.
- 82 minutes
- 70 touches
- 20X possession lost
- 2 key passes
- 1 yellow card
- 1/6 accurate crosses
- 0/2 successful dribbles
For Newcastle’s winning goal, the £170k-per-week Maddison failed to shut down Joelinton who then played the ball through for Jacob Murphy to set up Alexander Isak.
In what was a big game for Spurs to make a statement ahead of the North London Derby, the experienced players like Maddison really failed to step up to the mark.
Lucas Bergvall has already shown Tottenham he deserves to start
Having landed in north London earlier this summer, Lucas Bergvall has seriously impressed Postecoglou at Tottenham.
The young midfielder has now received his first call up for the Sweden international squad for this week.
But he has already shown he could be ready for his first start in the Premier League as he’s looked extremely positive in his early stages at the club.
One thing which Bergvall certainly has over Maddison is his physicality with the 18-year-old a much more imposing presence on the pitch.
However, frustratingly for Bergvall, his chances of starting in the biggest game of the season are slim given the magnitude of the game.
But the decision is now surely on Postecoglou’s mind.
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