Ange Postecoglou supports James Maddison’s night out at the darts despite his earlier illness before the Wolves match
London: Ange Postecoglou has no qualms about James Maddison hitting the darts last weekend. Even though Maddison wasn’t feeling well enough to start against Wolves earlier that day, Postecoglou is cool with it.
Maddison was spotted at the World Darts Championship with his teammate Brennan Johnson, just hours after coming off the bench in the 2-2 draw with Wolves. Postecoglou mentioned that Maddison was supposed to start but had to sit out because he reported feeling sick before the game.
“He was due to play last week but he was sick, so I had to change the team on the day,” Postecoglou explained. “He was ill on the day.” But it seems Maddison is on the mend now. He trained well and Postecoglou felt it was good for him to take a couple of days off from training.
When asked if he had a problem with Maddison being at the darts, Postecoglou said, “I’ve got no problem with that. I think players should have lives outside of football.” He added that it’s a different ball game trying to play football while also living a normal life.
Postecoglou clarified that Maddison wasn’t bedridden and was still fit enough to play, even if he wasn’t at 100%. He pointed out that if Maddison had skipped the game entirely and then went to the darts, that would be a different story.
This isn’t the first time Maddison has faced scrutiny for his off-field activities. Back in October 2019, he was seen at a casino on the same night England lost to the Czech Republic, a match he had pulled out of due to illness. Maddison later called the backlash from that incident “ridiculous.”
Looking ahead, new England boss Thomas Tuchel will be watching the Spurs’ match against Newcastle, keeping an eye on Maddison and a few other players. Maddison has been in and out of the Spurs lineup this season, but Postecoglou believes that the competition for midfield spots is helping him perform well.
“The reason he’s still doing well is because I’ve got midfield numbers,” Postecoglou said. “I don’t think any player can handle the volume of games we’re playing right now and keep up their performance.”
He emphasized the importance of keeping Maddison fit and sharp, which means not playing him every game. With nine first-team players out for the upcoming match against Newcastle, Maddison and Pape Matar Sarr are likely to start in midfield since they’re suspended for the Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool.