Ange Postecoglou made a bold move against West Ham United as he withdrew James Maddison at half-time in the London derby.
The gamble to bring off one of his key players and risk upsetting Maddison paid off as Pape Matar Sarr helped Spurs control the midfield and secure a 4-1 win.
Tottenham looked like a different team in the second 45 minutes as they scored three goals against the Hammers and had chances to score even more.
Maddison did not look best pleased as he reappeared on the bench after the restart with his hood up and a frustrated look etched across his face.
The midfielder didn’t have a particularly bad half of football either as he actually managed to equal a Premier League record for the North London club, however, Sarr offered Spurs’ midfield much greater protection and got the ball moving quicker than the English international.
James Maddison equals Tottenham record vs West Ham
Maddison equalled Darren Anderton’s Tottenham Premier League record for most chances created while playing 45 minutes or less against West Ham.
The 27-year-old created five chances in the London derby win despite only playing the first-half, which included an assist for Dejan Kulusevski.
West Ham took the lead through Mohamed Kudus as West Ham cut through the hosts despite Postecoglou’s team being on top for most of the first 45 minutes.
It was clear something needed to change at the break and Postecoglou decided Maddison for Sarr was the move which came as quite a shock to most Spurs supporters.
Now, looking back at Maddison’s numbers from the first-half, the decision looks quite harsh, but given the control they had over their bitter rivals, it’s hard to make such a strong case for keeping him on.
Moving forward, it will be interesting to see how Postecoglou changes his Tottenham team in the Premier League and whether Maddison will lose his place in the line-up.
How James Maddison reacted to being subbed off vs West Ham
Former Irish international Tony Cascarino has revealed what he has been told about how Maddison reacted to bring hauled off at half-time.
The football pundit claimed the former Leicester man was fuming after the game and stormed through the mix zone refusing to talk to the media.
Cascarino told The Game Football Podcast: “He made a big call at half-time, Postecoglou, taking Maddison off. It felt like Maddison was in the way in midfield. I was told afterwards that Maddison wasn’t happy, the TNT people were there and they said he wasn’t happy Maddison, he just stormed, I wouldn’t say stormed, he walked past them and didn’t want to interview.
Cascarino claims that the midfielder is now fighting for his future at the North London club as he is no longer the main man in the team.
“He’s fighting for his career at Tottenham after a year really. I say his career as a first-team starter in their best XI. I’m not sure he’s convinced by Maddison’s role in the team. He’s a great footballer, technically superb, but he has to be the main man, and he isn’t now,” he added.
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