View: Ange will be relieved over int'l news involving 87% Tottenham man that baffled Goldstein

Andy Goldstein has claimed that Tottenham midfielder James Maddison won’t care about being left out of the latest England squad but was baffled he wasn’t included.

Maddison has been an influential figure under Ange Postecoglou with nine-goal contributions in nine Premier League starts, although that seemingly wasn’t enough to warrant a call-up to Lee Carsley’s England squad ahead of the November international break despite a spate of pull-outs.

While cases can be made for him deserving a call-up. Postecoglou will likely be pleased that one of his key players will be getting a break.

In what many will deem as pointless fixtures, Goldstein claimed on talkSPORT (12 November 4:05 pm): “James Maddison is not in the squad. We love James Maddison. I think he should be in the squad. Even more so with the pullouts, but he’s not in.

“James Maddison should be sitting at home thinking ‘it doesn’t matter, Lee Carsley’s not in charge.”

James Maddison form at Tottenham deserved a call-up

While Maddison may be grateful for a break, he certainly deserved a call-up to the England squad. Even more so after several players decided to drop out.

The midfielder has been a crucial part of Postecgolou’s side albeit with Spurs underachieving.

According to FotMob, Maddison has created an impressive 19 chances for his attacking teammates, having only started nine games. He is a player with the ability to create something out of nothing which is often pivotal for teams being able to pick up extra points in tight encounters.

The fact only three of those created chances have turned into goals, perhaps tells more of the story as Spurs haven’t taken as many opportunities as they could have.

His passing ability is his key attribute and an 87 per cent pass accuracy throughout the opening part of the campaign showcases that.

Per 90 minutes, Maddison averages an xA (expected assists) of 0.47, with Son Heung-min second for that attribute with just 0.29.

It shows the gulf in creative abilities in Postecgolou’s side and showcases how Maddison excels at creativity more than anyone else.

His abilities go far beyond just creating, with goals also a huge part of his game. Behind Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson, Maddison is Spurs’ second top scorer with three goals from a recorded xG (expected goals) of 2.4.

Often the difference between top teams is the presence of a goalscoring midfielder and he is one of the best in the country when it comes to being able to demonstrate that.

England certainly have plenty of midfield options but he offers something completely different and his omission is bizarre.

In other Tottenham news, John Wenham believes it is “going to kill” Spurs to be without midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur.

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