James Maddison returns to Tottenham for the first time in almost three months. The Spurs creative genius has been absent since the disastrous 4-1 defeat to Chelsea after injuring his ankle at the start of November, which halted Anzhet Postecoglou’s dream start in north London.
Micky van de Ven, who returned for the recent 2-2 away draw at Manchester United, was also seriously injured in that London derby. Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie were also ruled out in a heated clash in which the Lilywhites lost three of their next four games.
Despite recent injury problems, Udogie and Romero have returned to the squad and Maddison’s eventual return could not have come at a better time. Postecoglou is already missing three key players, with club captain Son Heung-min away with South Korea at the Asian Cup, while Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr are representing Mali and Senegal respectively at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Giovani Lo Celso, who was one of the replacements for Maddison, is also injured, while Dejan Kulushevski missed the four-goal thriller at Old Trafford. The Sweden international was missing due to an illness that gripped Tottenham’s camp earlier this month and is expected to be available for the FA Cup fourth-round showdown against Manchester City at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Maddison could be another name that could return to the squad for the game as he has returned to full training in the build-up to the cup game. Last Friday was supposed to be the day when the England international and his teammates had their first full training session at Hotspur Way since November, and his return has delighted many Spurs fans.
However, it should be noted that Maddison could still miss the game against the FA Cup holders. Postecoglou has so far chosen not to reveal whether he could return from injury for this weekend’s game.
Rodrigo Bentancur, like Maddison, injured his ankle in November and initial estimates suggested he could not return until February. He returned early and started the match against Bournemouth on 31 December. Before the Man United game, Postecoglou said that it was unlikely that Romero would be fit to play, except that the Argentine international played the full 90 minutes.
Both decisions must have shocked many, including the teams that competed against Spurs, which certainly seems to be the main reason for Postecoglou’s cryptic approach. However, there was a clear difference in what was said and announced about Maddison compared to how the returns of Bentancur and Romero were handled.
The rumour on WhatsApp was the only information about Bentancur’s extremely early return, while the video of the players’ arrival in Manchester suggested that Romero would make an appearance. But Maddison’s return to training was announced all over social media, suggesting a limited role in Friday’s clash given how previous returns have been handled.
An absence of 12 weeks is also very different from the month or so that Romero and Bentancur missed. Nevertheless, Maddison’s return to the squad for the game, or a return just before the return, is likely to provide a huge morale boost which, coupled with the fact that Man City have yet to score at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, will convince the Lilywhites that they can beat Pep Guardiola’s team on Friday night.