Ange Postecoglou has relied heavily on Tottenham duo Spence and Maddison recently
Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou led his side to the quarter-finals of the Europa League after beating AZ Alkmaar 3-2 on aggregate, overcoming a 1-0 deficit from the first leg. A recent upside of results has also been down to a few players who have stepped up when Ange needed them the most.
Djed Spence’s career at Spurs looked all but over last year, when the 24-year-old was loaned out for the third time since joining the North London club. The ex-Middlesborough defender had failed to make an impact at Tottenham ever since joining the club in 2022 and was constantly being overlooked by the coaches.
Spence’s competition for the right-back position was Pedro Porro, a player who was relied upon heavily by Ange in his first season at the club. However, a recent surge in poor form by the Spaniard led the ex-Celtic manager to give Spence a chance in the starting 11, and the talented defender has not looked back since.
How good have Spence and Maddison been?
Djed Spence has become one of the most improved players in the Spurs squad and was also tipped to get the England call-up by Thomas Tuchel for the upcoming international break in March. Spence has been brilliant defensively, which is something Porro was not good at. The ex-Middlesbrough defender has been playing as an overlapping full-back and has been doing that job superbly in an underwhelming Spurs side.
Another player who was also expected to be getting the call-up was James Maddison. The 28-year-old has been in and out of the Spurs team this season, mainly due to injuries or just the tactical setup. However, the attacking midfielder has managed to find the net 11 times and provided 7 assists in 37 games in all competitions this season, as per Sofascore.
The duo were not picked for England this time
England manager Thomas Tuchel announced his squad on Friday for the first time since taking over. There were some obvious names in the squad but it was expected that the ex-Chelsea manager would pick a few players based on their current form and reliance at clubs.
Surprisingly, both Djed Spence and James Maddison were left out of the England squad for the March international break. The duo has been consistently good for the Lilywhites ever since the turn of the year, but failed to make the squad.
As transcribed by Football.london, Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou was asked about the England snub and the 59-year-old said,
“Madders, in a really challenging season for us, has grinded his way through and his quality has really come through in the last few weeks – especially when we have been able to give a spell every now and then.”
The Spurs manager then spoke about Djed Spence,
“Djed has been superb this year. I always feel with these things, particularly with the national team selection, it’s never a kind of thing where you just draw a line through it. I have no doubt if Djed keeps performing how he is and Madders keeps working hard, Thomas will be looking across the board over the next period and both of them will be in the frame.”
More Tottenham Hotspur News:
Both Spence and Maddison will be looking to end the season strong and force their way into the national team after being left out this time around. The duo will be hoping to help Spurs win a long-awaited trophy and become consistent starters under Ange Postecoglou.
