View: Ange holds the keys over 55% Tottenham enigma, McCoist thinks it's a 'Problem'

All McCoist believes Ange Postecoglou has a “problem” when it comes to utilising Tottenham enigma James Maddison.

The England international has started 11 of Spurs’ 15 matches in all competitions this season, but he has been left out for the past two Premier League games.

Even when he has started, Maddison has often failed to see out the full 90 minutes, which McCoist believes is strange.

“Clearly, with the talent James has, I’d expect him to start all the games, and I’d expect him to finish more games than he is,” the former Rangers player and manager said on talkSPORT [19 November, 8:26am]

“So it’s a problem for James that he isn’t getting anything like the game time he should be. I don’t know whether the manager has a problem with him or doesn’t think he can last the 90 minutes.

“But it’d suggest that all is not well, or at least not 100 per cent well.”

James Maddison underperforming for Tottenham

Maddison has been involved in the odd moment of real quality for Tottenham this season, not least his free-kick against Aston Villa recently.

That is one of three Premier League goals scored by the playmaker this season, which only Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson (both four) can better.

Clearly, then, scoring goals cannot be the biggest issue as far as Postecoglou is concerned. Indeed, Maddison also has a joint-high three assists this term – again, not a problem.

However, he can often go missing in games and his defensive stats do not make for great reading. As per WhoScored, Maddison registers 1.2 tackles per game in the Premier League.

That is compared to 1.7 for Johnson and Wilson Odobert, while his 0.5 interceptions per game is also among the lowest in the Tottenham squad.

In his most recent start, the 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace on 27 October, Maddison lost five of the 11 duels he contested for a 55 per cent success rate [Sofascore].

Where Maddison particularly struggles, as per FBref, is in terms of progressive carries – defined as moving the ball 10 yards or more towards the opposition’s goal.

Ange Postecoglou must get more out of James Maddison

The 27-year-old averages 2.23 per 90 minutes, which ranks him in the bottom 14 percentile of all attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues over the past 12 months.

The positives definitely outweigh the negatives, though, such as his nine progressive passes per 90 – passes that move the ball at least 10 yards up the field – for which he is in the top one percentile.

Ultimately, Postecoglou feels the negatives in Maddison’s game are too risky for him to be selected as a starter right now – or indeed see games through if he does feature from the beginning.

As McCoist says, it is fast becoming a “problem” that Postecoglou, Maddison and indeed Tottenham need a solution for.

In other Tottenham news, the club’s stance on a January transfer for James Maddison has emerged.

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