Tottenham Hotspur sit two points clear of Arsenal and Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table and under Ange Postecoglou, are playing an exciting, attacking brand of football. Not only the appointment of the former Celtic manager, but the signing of James Maddison from Leicester City for £45m has elevated Spurs to an unprecedented level.
The numbers behind James Maddison’s season
Maddison registered 19 goal contributions (10 goals and nine assists) in 30 Premier League games for Leicester City, but was unable to prevent the club from being relegated. With eight contributions (three goal and five assists) in 10 games already this season, Maddison is averaging a goal contribution every 105 minutes and at the current rate, will surpass last season’s tally.
According to FBRef, Maddison also leads the way in several categories. No player has played more key passes (31) in the Premier League this season than Maddison while the Englishman is tied with Lazio’s Luis Alberto in progressive passes (96) across Europe’s top five leagues ahead of Achraf Hakimi (PSG, 95), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United, 93), and Aleix Garcia (Girona, 88).
More impressively, Maddison is leading the way in shot-creating actions (78) ahead of Romain Del Castillo, Leroy Sané and Iago Aspas (61), Isco and Aleix Garcia (56), and is also ahead in goal-creating actions (11) across the Premier League and Europe’s top five leagues.
Maddison is also in the 97th percentile for expected assisted goals.
Could Tottenham Hotspur win the Premier League?
There’s still a long way to go in the season, but Tottenham Hotspur fans have every right to be excited. In Postecoglou, they’ve got a coach who plays a relentless style of attacking football. Spurs’ recruitment has been excellent with Guglielmo Vicario and Mickey van de Ven excelling, while Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr are creating an excellent understanding with Maddison.
And are they missing Harry Kane? Perhaps his presence around the club, but Tottenham’s performances on the field suggest otherwise.
GGFN | Daniel Pinder
