‘Bit of a loss’: Gary Lineker wonders if one Tottenham player might have fallen out with Ange Postecoglou now

Tottenham Hotspur will perhaps feel slightly fortuitous following their 2-2 draw with Bournemouth on Sunday, a result which flattered the home side.

Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth team pressed brilliantly against Tottenham, causing Ange Postecoglou’s side all kinds of problems at the back.

Cristian Romero looked very rusty on his injury return, misplacing several passes in the first half in particular.

In fact, Jamie Redknapp was furious with Tottenham’s approach early on – the pundit was desperate for Spurs to adapt their game plan and simply go long with the ball.

But Postecoglou’s side always stick to their principles, an admirable stance but one that must frustrate fans in N17 more often than not.

Gary Lineker wonders if James Maddison has fallen out with Ange Postecoglou

That being said, Postecoglou once again made the peculiar decision to place James Maddison on the bench against Bournemouth, choosing to play without a number ten.

The Tottenham manager opted for a relatively flat midfield three of Pape Matar Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma sitting slightly deeper.

READ MORE: Andoni Iraola makes interesting comment about Tottenham’s Son Heung-min after 2-2 draw with Bournemouth

And with Wilson Odobert and Brennan Johnson on the wings, there was no space for Maddison who only entered the pitch in the 61st minute.

That being said, when speaking on ‘The Rest Is Football’ podcast with Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, Gary Lineker wondered if there may have been some kind of fallout between Maddison and Postecoglou to explain his absence.

Lineker seemed to eventually be talked out of his theory, but it was still an interesting discussion.

Lineker began: “Maddison, late coming off the bench again. And when he comes on he always looks the part and played some really good football.

“I’m at a bit of a loss at what’s happened there this season. I wonder whether there’s been a bit of a fallout or…”

Shearer: “What have you heard, Micah?”

Richards: “Nope, I’ve not heard anything from Maddison. I think they’ve got the game in Europe, haven’t they?”

Lineker: “Maybe, maybe he’s thinking of that.”

James Maddison still has excellent numbers for Spurs this season

Interestingly, Dejan Kulusevski called for Maddison to play more often recently himself, a player who is clearly held in high regard by his teammates.

And it’s worth pointing out that Maddison does have excellent numbers in comparison to some of his Tottenham teammates playing around him this season.

Perhaps it is just a case of Postecoglou resting the England international on this occasion, readying him for Thursday’s important tie.

However, it does seem odd that Maddison is left on the bench so regularly, a player who looked to even be inspiring a title push for Spurs under Postecoglou at the start of last season.

New signing Mathys Tel has already been impressed with Maddison, and it is a peculiar situation all around that he hasn’t been starting more often.

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