Bryan King, a former Spurs scout, has criticized Ange Postecoglou for holding off on starting James Maddison against Manchester City until the 73rd minute.
At the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Friday, January 26, Spurs lost 1-0 to Manchester City to send them out of the FA Cup in the fourth round.
Pep Guardiola’s team was assured of a spot in the fifth round draw by Nathan Ake’s 88th-minute winner, which was also City’s first goal in Spurs’ new stadium. Meanwhile, Tottenham’s trophy drought is set to continue for a record 17 years.
Maddison’s inclusion in the matchday squad, his first since suffering an ankle injury during the 4-1 home loss to Chelsea on November 6, was one encouraging development for the home team.
The 27-year-old, nevertheless, was only able to make the bench, and King has questioned why his introduction was delayed for so long.
Speaking only to Tottenham News, King questioned why Postecoglou held off on bringing Maddison on for so long. Should he be on the bench, you must be ready to employ him; else, what good is having him there?
Werner labored and barely made contact with the ball. Ten minutes into the second half, I would have substituted Maddison for him. Dejan Kulusevski would have been on the right, Maddison would have been behind, and Brennan Johnson would have been on the left.
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“You witnessed the audience’s response when he eventually introduced him, and I’m curious as to why it took him so long.
“I was perplexed as to why he hadn’t appeared sooner.”
In other Tottenham news, King feels that the defeat to City was “wholly the fault”of one Tottenham star.
