Tottenham Hotspur fans thought they were finally going to see James Maddison back on the pitch after his groin tweak a couple of weeks ago against Chelsea, especially since he had the full game last weekend against Crystal Palace to rest. But instead, Maddison was shockingly nowhere to be found when the starting 11 was announced, and he didn't even get on the pitch in the second half to bail out a badly sagging Spurs side that got much worse when Mathys Tel went down injured.
Instead, Roberto De Zerbi shoehorned Pedro Porro into the starting 11 for his first start since an injury prior to the last international break about a month ago. He played him at right back and moved Archie Gray to a midfield trio with Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes. That trio did not click at all, and De Zerbi didn't seem to even try to play with an actual playmaker, instead abandoning his ideals for a form of negative football that Leeds United absolutely ate alive at Elland Road.
Spurs lost the game 1-0, creating almost no chances. Their closest effort of the game was a half volley from range struck b Conor Gallagher off the bench in the second half. Only Gray had more than one key pass, and, in all honesty, he was rubbish, playing his worst game in the midfield since his breakout in the 2025/26 season.
Tottenham are not winning consistently without James Maddison
Tottenham Hotspur are not the same team without James Maddison. That was the case in 2024/25, it was clear in 2025/26 when Madders was coming off the bench during the relegation games, and it was made abundantly obvious to Spurs fans once again a few weeks ago when they won their first game of the season against Maddison's childhood club Coventry City upon his return to the 11.
The big problem, though, is that Maddison is never fully healthy. There has not been a time since his ACL tear when he has been healthy enough to play 60 minutes in back to back games, and that problem is becoming magnified by the fact that Spurs don't have another No. 10 right now and badly need him.
Now, Spurs had better options at the 10 than going back to Mateus Fernandes there, and so Roberto De Zerbi has a cross to bear for his selections against Leeds. But no matter what, with the way the Peacocks played at Elland Road, Spurs would have been worse for wear just by not having James Maddison. Spurs inability to create or withstand not having him in the time that Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons are still recovering from their own ACL tears is a major issue that hangs over this team.
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