Tottenham Hotspur

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Lindsay: I am a great admirer of Maddison’s talent. However, I feel Spurs would be better suited playing with two defensively-minded midfielders - be that Yves Bissouma, Pape Sarr or Rodrigo Bentancur - to balance the propensity of the two full-backs bombing forward as wing-backs. That leaves one space for Maddison or Dejan Kulusevski. And the latter is on fire at the moment.

Will: Undoubtedly better without Maddison - just look at the second half last weekend. Spurs transformed when Maddison was substituted as usual. Was a great Leicester player but he hasn’t worked out at Spurs.

SB: Maddison is a valuable squad member who can be utilised in certain matches and situations. However, if we are to challenge for top honours as per the project target, we need a massive upgrade on him as a midfield playmaker. Too weak in the tackle and susceptible to losing possession easily.

Chris: Maddison negative, Dejan Kulusevski positive. What I mean is that Maddison will go down at the slightest touch, Dejan fights off physical challenges, and is therefore more inspiring for his teammates and the supporters who admire that fighting attitude. That's where leadership comes from, inspiring others around you.

Dave: Maddison needs to up his game. The first six months he was good but since the injury he's been bang average. Drop him to the bench for a bit and buy another attacking midfielder instead of betting on one horse as we also do.

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has been speaking to the media before Thursday's Europa League game against AZ Alkmaar (kick-off 20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Captain Son Heung-min will not play on Thursday but Postecoglou said "he was never going be involved" anyway.

• Richarlison is in contention and is "ready to go," while Djed Spence took part in individual training. Wilson Odobert could feature but Postecoglou said Spurs "have to be a bit more careful" with him as he has only returned to training this week. The boss added: "Game time will be game-dependent with him."

• On showcasing themselves in Europe: "We've started the competition well but there's still a long way to go. It is one step at a time for us. It is a good opportunity for us to continue our form."

• He said corners "are something we have to work on" as Tottenham did not use them effectively against West Ham when they had 12 in just the first half.

• In response to whether he has asked Alkmaar-born Micky van de Ven for information on AZ: "I think I know more about Dutch football than Micky! We played AZ when I was at Celtic a couple of years back. Always a good side, always good at identifying young talent."

• On former Spurs forward Troy Parrott, who now plays for the Dutch club: "It's good to see Troy doing well. He had a great loan spell last year in the Dutch league and he's started his AZ career in positive fashion which is great."

• On whether Parrott was given a fair shot during seven years at Tottenham: "Sometimes it is just about timing. We have got a striker here who was at Chelsea and Liverpool when he was younger - and he's done all right since."

Joe Bradshaw
BBC Sport Senior Journalist

The dart celebration. The beaming smile. The silky football that characterised the start of 2023-24 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

This time last year it would have seemed barely believable that people might be questioning James Maddison's place in Ange Postecoglou's side.

But after his half-time substitution for (defensive?) midfielder Pape Sarr launched an enterprising second-half display to thrash West Ham on Saturday, the vice captain's status as an automatic starter has to be up for debate.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Maddison has still started all of Spurs' Premier League games this season and, while he had been subbed off in all of them, before Saturday the earliest he had left the field was the 77th minute.

In 40 appearances for Tottenham, he has 19 goal contributions - essentially one every other game - with six goals and 13 assists.

The previous time Maddison was withdrawn after 45 minutes for Tottenham was that seminal game against Chelsea last November, when Postecoglou's outstanding start to life in north London hit a significant bump in the road.

He subsequently missed 10 games and, as Spurs' campaign spluttered, he never quite rediscovered his early-season razzamatazz.

It could be argued he still has not, albeit two goals and three assists in eight games this season is totally in keeping with his record.

Indeed, he remains Tottenham's metronome, having had more touches (561) than all but the defensive trio of Cristian Romero, Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven, averaging two shots per game and only ranking second for dribbles behind Dejan Kulusevkski (22 to 29).

As the graphic above shows, very little has changed.

Last season, Maddison averaged 48 passes per game - so far this year, it is 49. In 2023-24, he averaged 67 touches per game - in 2024-25, it is 70. Shooting-wise, he has dropped from 2.0 shots per game to 1.88.

Different games beget different tactics - and Saturday's tweak made a tremendous difference for Tottenham.

But before we even think about writing Maddison off, we need far more evidence.

Tottenham midfielder James Maddison has been taken off in every Premier League match he has started this season, so we asked our Tottenham fan contributor whether the side are better with or without him.

Here is what Anna Howells from Spurs XY had to say...

Find more from Anna at Spurs XY, external

And tell us what you think - are Spurs better with or without Maddison?, external

Tottenham have placed an £80m price tag on 25-year-old Spain right-back Pedro Porro, who is being tracked by Manchester City. (Football Insider), external

Sevilla are interested in signing Spurs' 18-year-old England Under-21 midfielder Archie Gray on loan. (Mucho Deporte - in Spanish), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Ali Speechly
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Are these Spurs defenders better at attacking than defending?

While no one covered themselves in glory against Brighton earlier this month, Destiny Udogie had a particularly bad game, and looked set for another difficult day at the office on Saturday when Jarrod Bowen eased past him for West Ham’s goal.

In attack, however, Udogie connected well with players around him – especially Son Heung-min – and even had a shot on goal. In particular, his movement off and then on the ball with the assist for Bissouma’s goal was excellent.

In addition, Pape Sarr – technically a defensive midfielder replacing an attacking midfielder in James Maddison – was instrumental in driving Spurs up the pitch and made a wonderful, defence-splitting pass to Son for the final goal of the game.

On the other flank, Pedro Porro has shown he is not afraid to shoot, scoring some satisfyingly spectacular goals. Maybe memories of these flashed through his mind and impaired his decision-making when he chose to shoot later in the game, instead of crossing into the box – much to Ange Postecoglou’s frustration on the touchline.

Meanwhile, Micky van de Ven is known for his blistering pace and brilliant recovery runs but has also demonstrated his ability to use his speed to devastating effect on opposition defences – as evidenced in his marauding run against Manchester United last month.

I am not saying these players are bad at defending, but I definitely feel more confident when they are attacking – and maybe that is OK? Our style of play means we are an attacking team who takes risks, so perhaps it stands to reason that it is going to feel a bit nervy at the back sometimes.

Maybe, with Angeball, attack is the best form of defence, and if we are going to come along for the ride, us fans will just have to make our peace with that.

Find more from Ali Speechly at Women Of The Lane, external and on Instagram, external

Football is full of highs.

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And lows.

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Controversy takes hold.

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Moments of madness do too.

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Players become unexpected heroes.

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Some never change.

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There's pain.

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Joy too.

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And, given this ebb and flow of emotion, every so often, even the coolest heads boil over.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Tottenham and West Ham.

Here are some of your comments:

Spurs fans

Chris: This was more like the Spurs we want and expect. After all the attacking pressure in the first half, getting the equaliser was really important. Then the start of the second half was amazing and probably should have seen more Spurs goals.

Silvia: Loved the game! Almost a throwback to old derbies we used to get. I felt we were always in the game, even when we went a goal down. We've got a bit of swagger about us at the moment. I know people will say it's only West Ham, but a London derby is always a potential upset. Proud Spurs fan.

Simon: Against Brighton, Ange Postecoglou was way too slow to respond to Brighton's tactical change in the second half. There's always been a worry that Ange, much as we love him, is a bit of a one-trick pony. Against West Ham, he showed he can analyse a game and make the right tactical call when needed.

West Ham fans

Ken: This really was one of the worst team performances I've seen from a Hammers side. It's as though the manager can't get his ideas over to the team, or they either don't understand what he wants or can't bother to perform for him. Truly dreadful in the second half.

Grant: He has to drop Alphonse Areola. A poor keeper who uses his feet when he should use his hands and has very poor distribution. We have good individuals but we are not playing as a team. Ange schooled Julen Lopetegui today with his tactics and team set-up. Big improvements needed or this will be a season where we are battling relegation instead of fighting for Europe.

Gerald: Lively from the start. It was always going to be tough to defend against a side like Tottenham. As soon as they scored, they played deeper and deeper. It needed a change at half-time as the shape looked off and heads dropped quickly and we conceded a rout. The game was over in the space of 10 minutes. Another poor result while playing a passing style.

Borussia Dortmund's English winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, 20, is drawing interest from Arsenal, Tottenham, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest – though the German club want more than £50m for the player before they will consider selling. (Caught Offside, external)

Manchester City, Liverpool, and Tottenham have set their sights on Real Valladolid's Spanish winger Raul Moro, 21. (Fichajes – in Spanish, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Gary Lineker brings highlights and analysis from Saturday's Seven Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Man Utd 2-1 Brentford

• Bournemouth 2-0 Arsenal

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Dejan Kulusevski’s has taken his game to the next level in this country.

The 24-year-old added to his goal before the international break at Old Trafford with another impressive finish off both posts equalise in the first half.

It followed a productive international break where he earned rave reviews while captaining his country.

That success comes after a prolonged period in midfield but on Saturday afternoon -- West Ham had some joy in transition and hurt Spurs with some impressive first half counterattack.

Ange Postecoglou took the bold decision to substitute James Maddison instead of his in-form Swede for Pape Matar Sarr and the change worked.

The Hammers then kept turning over possession in midfield and gave up three goals in eight minutes to lose in the London derby.

Although Maddison has not performed poorly this season, he hasn’t reached his previous heights and Kulusevski’s improving form is a threat to his starring role.

Image source, Getty Images

Ange Postecoglou spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Tottenham's victory against West Ham: "We had to fight hard in the first half. Going a goal down wasn't ideal but we clawed our way back into it, and it is not easy. West Ham are a big physical side and they have got some speed as well.

"Second half we were outstanding. We upped the tempo and played some quality football, defended when we needed to and got our finishing right.

"I think we had some chances where we could have scored more but if we keep creating the goals will come. We want to be that sort of side that creates lots of chances."

Half time message: "It was not about changing things. We knew there had been a bit of an arm wrestle and we always back ourselves to keep going at the intensity we always do and upping it and taking the game to West Ham. We knew that putting them under pressure here at home we would eventually get there.

On Maddison being taken off at half time: "We needed more running power in midfield and Pape [Sarr] has lots of that, bags of energy and running. He really helped us to get control of the midfield and that gave us a good platform to go forward. Our general play improved from there and we looked dangerous going forward."

On the break since the Brighton defeat: "It was a bad 45 minutes not a bad 90 minutes [v Brighton] so we were not that far away. In that game we stopped the things we had to do in the second half but today it was a 95 minute performance."

Image source, Getty Images

James Maddison became just the second Tottenham player on record (since 2003-04) to create five or more chances in a Premier League game while playing 45 minutes or fewer, after Darren Anderton v Fulham in August 2003.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

What did you make of Tottenham’s display?, external

Have your say on West Ham's performance, external

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

There are seven matches that make up Saturday's Premier League action:

• Tottenham v West Ham - 12:30

• Fulham v Aston Villa

• Ipswich v Everton

• Manchester United v Brentford (listen on BBC Radio 5 Live)

• Newcastle v Brighton

• Southampton v Leicester

• Bournemouth v Arsenal - 17:30 (listen on BBC Radio 5 Live)

Kick-off 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

Image source, Getty Images

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou is determined to "change the perception" of his team after squandering a two-goal half-time lead to lose 3-2 at Brighton in their last Premier League game before the international break.

It was the 10th occasion in the Premier League era the club have taken a lead of two or more goals and yet gone on to lose.

"People will always find easy ways, if you've got a wound, to stick their finger in that wound," Postecoglou said. "If you're not prepared to accept that when things haven't gone well, then make sure things go well.

"If we want to change the perception of ourselves, it will not come because of, 'please don't call us those names'. It will come because we're proving we're a team that can be relentless in our approach and be successful."

After spending two weeks stewing on a defeat that left them ninth in the early Premier League standings, Postecoglou is keen his players learn from the experience.

"The second half was more around the fact we just didn't look anything like ourselves," he said. "We were really passive with and without the ball. We lacked real conviction and courage in everything we did.

"I hadn't seen that before in us and it's a good lesson for the whole group. You need to make sure tha, irrespective of how a game is going, you stick to the core principles of your football."