Jeff Stelling and Ally McCoist are at a loss to understand why Ange Postecoglou took off James Maddison at St James’ Park as Tottenham were going in search of a winner.
The same old problem for Tottenham
The game last Sunday followed an all too familiar pattern for Spurs, who were utterly dominant for large parts of the encounter but could not make the most of their opportunities.
They were made to pay for those missed chances, conceding a couple of soft goals, thus having nothing to show for their efforts.
Postecoglou would be scratching his head and wondering how his side have just one point to show from their two away matches so far, given the performances they have delivered.
The Australian has insisted his side will get their just rewards if they can keep playing as well as they did against the Magpies (The Standard).
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Why does Postecoglou always take Maddison off?
McCoist and Stelling both felt that Tottenham should have picked up all three points against Newcastle, but they were both puzzled by Postecoglou’s decision to take Maddison off.
The former Rangers boss told talkSPORT (02/09/24 at 6:10 am): “I watched Spurs and I can’t believe Spurs got beat.”
Stelling responded: “It was impossible. It was a case of watching the game and thinking ‘Spurs are sure to score in a minute, Spurs are sure to score in a minute, oh crikey, Newcastle have scored’.
“It was unthinkable, unimaginable, and on a serious side, it’s an issue for Postecoglou because they have to put these games when they dominate so much. And why does he always take Maddison off?”
McCoist then admitted: “That’s a strange one. That’s a really, really strange one.”
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Based on the fitness tests that Spurs would have done, Postecoglou and the staff must have data that suggests that Maddison tires significantly in the final 20 to 30 minutes of games, which might be why the Australian consistently takes the 27-year-old off.