Tottenham star James Maddison delivered an all-round midfield display vs Hoffenheim in the Europa League
Tottenham Hotspur bounced back to winning ways on Thursday night when they beat Hoffenheim 3-2 in the Europa League in Germany.
A brace from skipper Son Heung-min and an early James Maddison strike gave Spurs the points, guaranteeing them a knockout spot ahead of the final matchweek. This means a win at home to Swedish side IF Elfsborg will book Ange Postecoglou’s side a place in the Europa League knockout rounds next week—eliminating the need to play an extra two-legged play-off.
The North Londoners were without 14 senior players against Hoffenheim—11 injured and three ineligible. The bench comprised two goalkeepers and academy kids, and on a night when Ange Postecoglou expected his senior pros to step up, they did. One of them was James Maddison.
Maddison played a critical role for Tottenham in the 3-2 win over the German opponents. He got the ball rolling in the third minute at the PreZero Arena, perfectly controlling a long ball from Pedro Porro and smashing it past goalkeeper Oliver Baumann. The goal calmed down the nerves of the Spurs players and set them up for a memorable European night.
Starting in a midfield trio alongside Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur, the 28-year-old playmaker made a total of 40 passes with a fantastic 93% accuracy with three key passes into the final third. He supplied the assist for Son’s first goal, with the Spurs skipper’s shot going over the Hoffenheim goalkeeper albeit with a strong deflection.
The England international enjoyed 61 touches during the game with one accurate cross. Maddison gave a glimpse of his wide range of passing by completing 4/4 long balls against Hoffenheim.
-> Latest Hoffenheim vs Tottenham postponement news as weather freezes in Germany
Hoffenheim have endured a poor European campaign and that was evident from their performance on Thursday. However, Spurs were made to work hard for the win. Defensively, Maddison made two clearances, one tackle and won five ground duels during his 89-minute stay on the pitch. He also earned three fouls for the visitors from North London during his all-round midfield display. (Stats courtesy: SofaScore)
More Tottenham News
With Dejan Kulusevski certain for a run of games on the right flank following Brennan Johnson’s injury, there is every chance for Maddison now to get regular minutes in midfield. He may have been in and out of Big Ange’s side this season but the period is ideal for the creative midfielder to show his quality on a consistent basis and nail down his spot in the XI.
