Ange Postecoglou reacts to Maddison and Richarlison fighting over penalty
Tottenham continued their Europa League unbeaten run thanks to a Richarlison penalty last night, but it could all have been very different had James Maddison not handed the striker the spot-kick. Now, Ange Postecoglou has commented on that decision.
James Maddison gives Richarlison confidence boost
Spurs found their Dutch opponents difficult to break down on matchday three in the Europa League, and it took a penalty to split the two teams in the end.
With Tottenham fairly dominant throughout the game, AZ Alkmaar defended resolutely, but eventually slipped up early in the second half when Lucas Bergvall was fouled in the box.
The penalty should have been taken by James Maddison, who was captain for the night and the designated spot-kick taker, but he and Richarlison had an awkward discussion about that duty with the striker demanding the ball from his teammate.
Maddison won the debate, but as he prepared to place the ball on the spot, had a change of heart, and instead gave Richarlison the chance to score his first goal of the season.
The Brazilian did just that, and ended up being the match-winner for Spurs. After the game, Maddison told TNT Sports that he made that conscious decision as he wanted his colleague to get a boost after returning from injury.
Postecoglou doesn’t care who takes penalties
When asked after the game what he thought of the whole situation, Ange Postecoglou insisted he is not really interested in who takes a penalty for his team, as long as it ends up in the back of the net.
He told the press (via Football.London): “As long as they score, it doesn’t really bother me. I thought Madders was outstanding today. He was captain tonight, he was so creative, caused them problems. I think he sensed in that moment Richy’s worked awfully hard and he’s kind of got his season started tonight.
“Goals are important for strikers, so I thought Madders made a great decision to give him the responsibility but Richy had to put it in the back of the net and he did that.”
Postecoglou commented on the situation again in his pre-Crystal Palace press conference this morning, adding (Football London): “I was happy with the outcome. We have designated penalty takers but in the moment both equally good at taking penalties. If he threw the ball to Fraser I’d be a bit more worried about it! Important thing was that we scored.”
A perfect call from the captain
I think the James Maddison of three or four years ago would have never given up that penalty, but he has shown real maturity since joining Spurs and this is a bit of a crowning moment for him, I’d say. He relishes being a leader, he knows what it means to be a cohesive team unit, and the plan worked perfectly on the night.
The post Ange Postecoglou reacts to Maddison and Richarlison fighting over penalty appeared first on Spurs Web.