Tottenham: Ange Postecoglou has ‘no problem’ with James Maddison night out at the darts | OneFootball

Maddison went to Alexandra Palace after he was not well enough to start against Wolves earlier in the day

Ange Postecoglou says he had “no problem” with James Maddison's night out at the darts last weekend, despite revealing the playmaker was not well enough to start against Wolves earlier in the day.

Maddison was pictured with team-mate Brennan Johnson at Alexandra Palace on Sunday, hours after coming on as a 64th-minute substitute in the 2-2 draw with Wolves in north London.

Postecoglou said Maddison was due to start but was left on the bench for the second game running because he reported “sick” before kick-off.

“He was due to play last week but he was sick so I had to change the team on the day and leave him on the bench. He was ill on the day,” the Spurs head coach said.

Maddison was pictured at the World Darts Championship on Sunday

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“He’s better [now], he’s trained, it was still good to give him a couple of days away from training and everything, he was better. He trained, anyway.”

Asked if he therefore took issue with Maddison being at the darts that evening, Postecoglou said: “I've got no problem with that.

“I've got no problem with the players having lives.

“It's a lot different trying to play a game of football and living a life. I don't see any problem with that and I don't think [being at the darts] hurt him.

“He wasn't 100 per cent and it was a game where we needed someone to be 100 per cent. He was still well enough to play so it wasn't like he was bed-ridden.

“If he was bed-ridden, didn't turn up to the game and then still went to the darts, there may be an issue there. But I had no issue with that.”

In October 2019, Maddison was pictured at a poker table at a casino on the same night England lost to the Czech Republic - a fixture for which he was called up, only to pull out of the squad through illness three days before the match.

Maddison has been in and out of the Spurs side this season

AFP via Getty Images

Maddison later described the fallout from the incident as “ridiculous” and insisted it had no bearing on his England career under Gareth Southgate.

New England boss Thomas Tuchel, is set to be in the directors' box for Spurs' lunchtime kick-off against Newcastle on Saturday, with trio Maddison, Dominic Solanke and Archie Gray, as well as Newcastle pair Lewis Hall and Anthony Gordon, likely to be of interest to Southgate's successor.

While Maddison has been in and out of the Spurs side this season, Postecoglou believes his strong performances are down to good competition for midfield places in his otherwise injury-hit squad.

“The reason he’s still doing well is because I’ve got midfield numbers I’ve been able to rest him a little bit,” Postecoglou said.

“I don’t think any player can play the volume of games we’re playing at the moment, and the way we want to play, and maintain performance.

“I don’t think it’s feasible. I don’t think there’s anything in the way Madders is playing that would mean we would get more game-time.

“I still think the key with Madders is to keep him fit, keep him healthy, keep him sharp and that’s by not playing every game, especially with the programme we’ve got.

“When he’s played this year, his goal tally is strong, he’s always impacted the game and that’s what we need him to keep doing.

“I don’t think that means he’ll play more, I don’t think it’s feasible for anyone.

“At the moment, the only ones we’re playing regularly are the ones we’ve got no real options for. We have to play them all the time.

“I’d love to give Dom Solanke a rest, I’d love to give [Dejan] Kulusevski a rest, I’d love to give Radu [Dragusin] and Archie a rest, because I think that would help improve performance, but it’s just the cycle we’re in.”

Postecoglou is set to be without nine first-team players for Newcastle, with Maddison and Pape Matar Sarr likely to start in midfield because they are suspended for Wednesday's visit of Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.