Tottenham star James Maddison has insisted the squad are ‘100 per cent’ behind under-fire manager Ange Postecoglou ahead of their pivotal Europa League tie on Thursday night. Spurs host Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of their semi-final, with the outcome set to define their season.
Postecoglou’s team are floundering in 16th in the Premier League. The future of the Australian now appears to rest on whether they can seal Europa League glory and a place in the Champions League for the 2025/26 campaign. Maddison, though, has defended the 59-year-old.
The midfielder was put up in front of the media today and, despite conceding the club had underachieved domestically, insisted the players were still behind the ex-Celtic boss. He said: “We’re behind the manager 100%. I think he’s a great man.
“He’s the first person to tell you, I’ve heard it myself, that we’ve been poor in the league. We’ve been great in Europe but it’s been unacceptable in the league. We can still have a very successful season.”
Postecoglou has cut a spiky figure recently and frequently hit out at critics. His use of Maddison, 28, has also been questioned with the former England football team international having struggled to hold down a regular place in the starting XI.
However, Maddison implied there was no issue with the pair’s relationship, having been signed by the Aussie from Leicester in June 2023 for a £40million fee, and added: “He’s my manager, my gaffer and I respect him.”
Maddison was also pressed on current fan anger, and argued that the players were suffering just as much following the latest harrowing defeat at Liverpool on Sunday, saying: “We definitely want to reward them by creating something special, because the league hasn’t been good enough.
“But it hurts us as well. Let’s not create the narrative that we are just players out there (who don’t care). It hurts me, but this is why we are so motivated for this competition.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk