Speaking after the win over Fulham this evening, James Maddison celebrated his first home goal for Tottenham Hotspur, and revealed what Ange Postecoglou demands from his side.
Tottenham maintained their unbeaten start to the Premier League campaign with a fairly routine 2-0 win over London rivals Fulham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tonight.
Spurs dominated the game by and large, and aside from a couple of scares, were able to navigate the fixture relatively comfortably.
A first-half goal from Heung-min Son, his seventh of the season (Transfermarkt), put the Lilywhites in control.
The Spurs skipper then turned provider, laying a perfect pass into the path of James Maddison to convert early in the second half, with the playmaker getting his first goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Ange Postecoglou‘s men now return to the top of the Premier League and sit two points clear of Arsenal and Manchester City after nine games.
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 23: James Maddison of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates after scoring his side’s second goal with teammate Son Heung-Min during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 23, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
Postecoglou demands pressing from his players
In his post-match interview with Sky Sports, Maddison commented on the joy of bagging his first home goal for his new club, and also explained why this Spurs team are so intensive on the press.
On his goal, Maddison said: “I am really happy. All my goal contributions have been away from home, I see the stats about being good away from home, so I am happy to do it now at home.”
Maddison then discussed the way the game played out, adding: “It felt a little disjointed tonight. Fulham didn’t really press. Our centre-backs were able to walk up the pitch. I started to drop deeper and we got a little more success.”
"The first day he came in he said 'pressing high is almost a non negotiable at any stage of the game'"
James Maddison reacts after scoring first his goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in Spurs' 2-0 win over Fulham 👇 pic.twitter.com/xdshnWzaLi
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 23, 2023
And finally, the 26-year-old was asked about Tottenham’s style of play now, and said: “Pressing is one of the main messages. He said pressing high is a non-negotiable. We had a game in pre-season where we were [winning] and then sat in and he went ballistic at half-time. He said that is what Tottenham would have done previously.”
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Hopefully, that’s the first of many goals Maddison gets to score in front of the Spurs fans at home, and once again he was pulling the strings all night tonight.
It’s very interesting what he says there about Postecoglou’s instructions, and how important the press is, and that approach led to both of our goals tonight.
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