Tottenham Hotspur lost another game, and whlie they were able to get on the score sheet against a Premier League level team, even if the game itself was not in the league, Spurs were back on the losing end, falling out of the League Cup in only the Third Round with a 3-1 loss at Anfield to Liverpool.
There was not a whole lot to like about Spurs performance, even though they were, at times, better than the opposition, and if some of the shots went their way, they may have even pulled off an upset on the road.
One of the bright spots of the game was attacking midfielder James Maddison, who is still not ready to start yet for Spurs and recently suffered a new injury, dislocating his shoulder while coming off the bench against Brentford on Matchday 1.
James Maddison is a big upgrade for Tottenham
Maddison came into the game and was a big upgrade for Tottenham Hotspur, and with a few chances created in not a long time on the pitch, he was the only real threat for his team. And had the Spurs forwards been more up to it, Madders would have gotten an assist, too.
Before the game against Liverpool even started, Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi told reporters that he is expecting big things from the former Leicester City man and even admitted that the attacking midfielder is a step above his teammates.
De Zerbi said, via Chris Cowlin, "He's another important player for us. He has to stay in a good physical condition. In the last press conference we spoke about the changing intensity of the Premier League. He needs to work harder, like he's done, then he's a different player for us. The quality of James is different than other players."
Tottenham fans felt this way about James Maddison whlie watching him at the end of the 2025/26 Premier League season when he first returned from a torn ACL the year before. Although Madders was not able to start games at that time either, he made a significant impact off the bench, helping Spurs survive the drop in his own way.
Spurs fans can tell that Maddison has more technical quality, creativity, and vision, especially in the critical areas of the final third. The Lilywhites need a healthy Maddison in order to generate the chances to score goals, and he showed even briefly against Liverpool that De Zerbi is spot on; Maddison is several cuts above the rest.
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