James Maddison has struggled to stay consistent this season with Tottenham Hotspur, leaving his future in North London up in the air.
Not much has gone right for Tottenham Hotspur and James Maddison this campaign.
The team's inconsistency was on full display in its recent Premier League tie against Ipswich Town, where Tottenham fell 2-1 in a shocking loss to the newly promoted side that was winless through 10 games before Spurs provided Ipswich with its first win in the top flight since 2002.
It was Tottenham's fifth loss in the Premier League, keeping the North London side at 10th in the table, 12 points off leaders Liverpool. Spurs have yet to string together more than two straight wins in league play, and of the bottom four teams who only have one win this season, two collected their lone win against Tottenham.
While there's plenty of blame to go around, many will point to James Maddison's recent dip in form as part of the problem. During his debut season in North London last year, Maddison was electric, collecting 3 goals and 5 assists over his first 11 games.
He was Tottenham's main source of creativity and the heart of its offense while he logged at least 70 minutes as a regular starter, and with him in the lineup, Spurs were undefeated before the damaging 4-1 loss to Chelsea where Maddison was forced off with an ankle injury after 44 minutes.
Why James Maddison's future at Tottenham is in danger
This season, the 27-year-old hasn't had the same impact. After providing an assist in his first two contests, he's had just five goal contributions in his last 13 appearances.
He's still been one of Tottenham's most impactful players, but he's lacked some of the creativity that fueled the team last year and has struggled to gel with the rest of the midfield.
Maddison's last five appearances, four coming in the Premier Lague, have been particularly troubling. Out of a possible 360 minutes in the league matches, he's logged just 122 minutes.
In the team's 4-1 win over West Ham on Oct. 19, he started the game but was yanked at halftime as Spurs scored three goals in the second half without him.
In Tottenham's 1-0 loss on Oct. 27 to Crystal Palace, he was largely ineffective across 61 minutes, leading to another early substitution. Since the loss to Palace, Maddison hasn't started in league play.
He scored an absolute wordie of a free kick in Tottenham's 4-1 thrashing of Aston Villa but only played 9 minutes. He started and logged 66 minutes in the 3-2 loss to Galatasaray on Thursday during the club's Europa League tie, but he didn't even attempt a single shot.
That all culminated in a seven-minute cameo off the bench against Ipswich Town, where former Spurs scout Bryan King said Maddison was "unhappy" with his situation in North London. For Tottenham to do well this season, it'll need the midfielder to be at his best, but so far that hasn't happened.
The recent emergence and play of Pape Matar Sarr further complicate Maddison's situation, meaning a return to his top form wouldn't guarantee he'd reclaim his spot in the starting lineup, leaving his future under Postecoglou in doubt if things don't break for the former Leicester City star.