At the end of this long, arduous tunnel, a glimmer of hope for Tottenham Hotspur.
How badly they need it, too. The 1-0 victory at Wolves was their first in the Premier League in 118 bruising days and 16 matches, but it didn’t actually change much. West Ham’s last-gasp win against Everton consigned Spurs to another week in the bottom three.
This has been a bruising test of their mettle. Roberto De Zerbi is clearly up for the fight, but are his players? They have been battered and bloodied, but still they stand. Injuries threaten to derail their momentum for the run-in, but there could yet be a reprieve.
Indeed, De Zerbi dropped his strongest hint yet that James Maddison could make his long-awaited return to help Spurs get over the line. He was, however, unsure whether the influential playmaker would be fit enough to feature against Aston Villa on Sunday.
Maddison was an unused substitute for the win at Molineux and the 2-2 draw with Brighton, and he has been praised for his “important” role in salvaging dressing room morale.
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How important could James Maddison be for Tottenham?
Maddison did not warm up mid-match, with his inclusion in both matchday squads largely ceremonial. In fact, he was not expected to make his comeback at all this campaign. But after making staggering progress, those faint hopes could become a reality.
He is seemingly itching to make a decisive impact, a telling contribution that could prove the difference between survival and oblivion. For now, he remains restricted to a watching brief and was vocal on the bench at Wolves, especially during the nervy closing stages.
It was a testament to his sheer hunger and desire, as well as the mental fortitude he leaned on so heavily during his lengthy return from an anterior cruciate ligament rupture.
His last competitive appearance came against Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League semi-finals last May, before his medial collateral ligament injury saw him miss the rest of the campaign. Following a lengthy summer lay-off, he played against Newcastle in Seoul during pre-season.
Of course, disaster then cruelly struck.
Maddison, though, refused to let his ACL nightmare keep him down. He shared several behind-the-scenes social media videos during his road to recovery, including a motion capture suit designed to analyse his range of motion after his ACL reconstruction.
It appears he could now get his reward over the coming weeks.
“I don’t know [if he plays at Villa], I would like to play with him because he’s a special player,” said De Zerbi. “He’s a different player. We have to consider the physical condition, a lot of things. But I think he can be important in the next three games.”
Should the 29-year-old feature at Villa Park, it will certainly be off the bench. De Zerbi badly needs reinforcements after Xavi Simons and Dominic Solanke’s respective injuries, but the Italian will also be wary of rushing Maddison back after Mohammed Kudus‘ quad setback.
What is clear is that without that trio, Spurs desperately lack a cutting edge. Maddison in particular has left a sizeable void behind that no one has been able to adequately fill.
Last season, he was Tottenham’s highest-rated player on Sofascore, with his 7.30 score placing him ahead of Son Heung-min (7.27) and Pedro Porro (7.19). He scored nine goals in the Premier League, with his xG tally of 5.83 proving his deadly nature in and around the box.
Maddison also registered seven assists and 1.3 key passes per 90 minutes. His absence has too often rendered Spurs sterile in the final third. How badly they need him back.
Since his arrival at Spurs back in June 2023, he has made 58 top-flight appearances, scoring 13 times and bagging 16 assists. It goes without saying that De Zerbi would settle for even the slightest trace of these heroics should Maddison return over the coming weeks.
Maddison will return to changed Spurs
Any club would be worse off without their main creative architect.
That was a burden Maddison was all too keen to snap up last season, when he took on the bulk of chance creation alongside Son. His consistency was crucial in guiding Spurs to the latter stages of the Europa League.
However, it cannot be denied that he will return to a Tottenham side drastically changed from that heroic European triumph. Confidence is through the floor, while the club has splintered from top to bottom. These are truly concerning times.
De Zerbi has performed admirably since his appointment, stitching back together a wounded dressing room and striking an improved balance which has set the foundations for survival. He has relied heavily on the squad’s veterans, and Maddison fits into that category.
So, while Maddison’s return will be a significant boon to Spurs, it will also serve as a haunting and untimely reminder of just how far they have fallen in a year.
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