Jamie Carragher has lauded James Maddison for being ‘influential’ in Tottenham‘s success so far this season, with Ange Postecoglou‘s side top of the Premier League having gone unbeaten in seven games.
The 26-year-old starred once again on Monday night, scoring his fourth Premier League goal of the season during Tottenham’s 2-0 victory against Fulham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in what was a man-of-the-match performance.
And former Liverpool defender, Carragher, lumped praise on the England midfielder after the game, claiming in an interview with Maddison that he’d ‘been probably the most influential player in the Premier League’ so far.
And when pressed on that claim by Sky’s David Jones, he said: ‘I think he’s been that influential in changing Spurs,’ Carragher said to Sky Sports when asked how influential he’s been this season.
‘And the credit has to go to the manager [Postecoglou], it’s been his philosophy and his way of playing. But he’s [Maddison] has played a big part in changing that.
James Maddison once again shone brighter than the rest as Tottenham defeated Fulham
Maddison scored second goal of the 2-0 win to ice the game, but his all round play impressed
Jamie Carragher heaped praise on the English midfielder following Monday night’s victory
‘He’s come in and took the No 10 shirt, Harry Kane’s shirt. Possibly the greatest player to ever play for Tottenham. I think at one stage he had the captain’s armband on.’
The midfielder arrived at the club earlier this summer from Leicester in a £45million transfer, after Leicester were relegated from the Premier League last season.
Maddison has featured in every one of Spurs’ Premier League matches since the beginning of the new season, returning five assists for his new team.
Carragher added: ‘He’s just that type of personality and some times he mentioned about going to a bigger club. But some players can’t actually handle it.
‘It’s not their ability it’s their mentality. And he can, he’s doing interviews with us, being in the spotlight, he embraces it.’
Speaking to Maddison after the match, Carragher said: ‘For me, you’ve been probably the most influential player in the Premier League – have I got that right?’
Maddison responded: ‘That’s the aim, it’s big praise but I appreciate it. Coming to a club like Tottenham is a bigger club in stature than Leicester, and I absolutely loved my time there, but the scrutiny, the pressure, the responsibility goes up a notch when you come to one of these bigger clubs.
Lots of praise is falling at the door of boss Ange Postecoglou given team form or Son for goals
‘I love that and thrive off that. 60,000 fans here today and I just love these occasions on Monday Night Football. That’s when I’m at my best.
‘I felt really good out there today and I’m happy we got the win because we’re doing really well as a team, we’ve got such a hard-working team and a great manager. I just want that to continue game on game.’
Speaking on his player’s performance after the match, Postecoglou also praised the midfielder.
‘It’s great for Madders on the back of him working hard defensively which is a part of his game that really impressed me this year,’ the Australian manager said.
‘First half we were really good and madders was key to that. In the second half I thought we lost our discipline a little bit and you can’t do that at this level.’
Postecoglou has taken 23 points from his first nine Premier League games – which is a record
Son Heung-min got the opener for Tottenham after a mazy run in the first-half saw him lash the ball into the back of the goal.
Maddison followed up after half-time and admitted his delight to get on the score sheet again.
‘I’m really happy,’ he told Sky Sports. All my goal contributions so far this season have been away from home, I keep seeing stats pop up about it. It’s nice to get off the mark here in a convincing performance, solid win, that puts us back to the top of the table.
‘It felt a little bit disjointed, Fulham didn’t really press and our centre-backs were able to walk up the pitch with the ball almost.
‘We expected them to press a little bit higher. I started dropping deeper and was more involved in the build-up, we got a little bit more success that way.’
Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
Mail Online
