Tottenham Hotspur bounced back to winning ways in the Premier League with a thrilling 3-1 win against Crystal Palace.
The Eagles took the lead around the hour mark through a wonder goal from Eze. However, Spurs responded late but in emphatic fashion, as they scored three goals in 11 minutes to secure all three points.
The winning goal was set up by star midfielder James Maddison, who scooped the ball first time to the back post, where Cristian Romero was there to nod in.
Despite the assist, former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara highlighted an issue with left-back Destiny Udogie which was impacting Maddison’s performance.
O’Hara believes that Udogie’s tendency to drift into the midfield, particularly in the half-space area where Maddison operates, can overcrowd the space and limit Maddison’s influence on the game.
Speaking on talkSPORT, O’Hara expressed his thoughts, emphasising the need for Udogie to stay wide to create space for Maddison to operate effectively.
Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: (5:54 pm, March 2, 2024):
“Look, I know Udogie is great, don’t get me wrong, I think he is fantastic, but he runs into the midfield all the time.
“I think actually sometimes he kills the space. Stand out on the touchline and then you can be the one who receives it and plays it into Maddison, who is already on the half turn and he is already in the pocket.
“The problem is now there are so many bodies in there, Maddison is struggling to find little touches, he has to get it wide, it is harder to create from wide areas.”
Although Maddison’s output hasn’t been significantly affected all season, as his creativity continues to shine through. The 27-year-old has contributed to 11 goals directly, with 3 goals and 8 assists in 16 appearances in the English top flight in the ongoing campaign.
If there appears to be an issue with Udogie’s role, Ange Postecoglou would likely be the first to address it, given his understanding of these subtleties.
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