Jamie O’Hara says Ange Postecoglou did something ‘strange’ with 27-year-old Tottenham player vs West Ham

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Jamie O’Hara was left stunned by one of the decisions made by Ange Postecoglou during Tottenham Hotspur’s draw last night.

The Lilywhites were forced to share the points with West Ham at the London Stadium despite taking the lead early on in the game.

Brennan Johnson provided yet another goal for Spurs, but Ange Postecoglou’s side were unable to really build on that goal.

And it seems one decision, in particular, left the TalkSPORT man puzzled during the game.

What Jamie O’Hara said about Ange Postecoglou

Three points would have taken Tottenham into the top four and above Aston Villa ahead of their game against Manchester City tonight.

Instead, Spurs now sit two points adrift of Unai Emery’s side in a top four race which no side is really taking a firm hold of.

The Australian made a number of changes throughout the second half as Spurs looked to make a breakthrough.

One of the players to be withdrawn was playmaker James Maddison who made way for Dejan Kulusevski.

This was the second game in a row where the England midfielder has been taken off before the full-time whistle now.

And speaking on TalkSPORT, O’Hara admitted he though the 27-year-old did not look pleased when he was removed by the Australian manager.

He said: “Maddison taken off again didn’t look happy. And he’s not one to throw his toys out the pram I don’t think Maddison. He holds himself quite well when he gets dragged them, but he doesn’t look the happiest in getting taken off.

“It’s a strange one for me in a game like that when the game opens up at the end like a sort of basketball match. Maddison’s kind of the guy you want on the ball in in a moment where you need one killer pass.”

What Maddison did after being taken off vs Luton

In a game which needed a moment of creativity, taking off Maddison has certainly raised a few eyebrows.

Postecoglou is never going to please everyone with his substitutions, however, this is one which clearly didn’t go down well with the player.

Maddison was also withdrawn prematurely on the weekend against Luton Town and instead of taking to the bench, the midfielder walked straight down the tunnel.

That came just days after the 27-year-old admitted he had been left frustrated by his lack of minutes during the international break with England.

He said: “I know the quality that I have — and that can help this team, most definitely. You’ve got to show it and you’ve also got to have the opportunity to show it. I didn’t feature in the first game, which was disappointing because I wanted to play in a big game at Wembley.

Maddison may not have been able to provide a goal or assist on Tuesday night, but he is a summary of his display against West Ham.

• 70 minutes played
• 72 touches
• 47/53 accurate passes
• 1 key pass
• 0/4 successful crosses
• 3/3 successful long balls
• 13X lost possession
• 2X was fouled
• 1 tackle
• 1 interception

Statistics via SofaScore.

After sustaining such an injury in the backend of last year, it is only natural for Maddison to take some time to get back to his best.

Perhaps Postecoglou is managing his minutes with another game to come at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

But the midfielder clearly felt he could have been the man to provide Spurs with that cutting edge in the final 20 minutes.