Tottenham Hotspur were dealt an almighty scare during their clash at Arsenal on Sunday, as James Maddison jolted his knee and went down in a heap. Although the creative leader continued for some time afterwards, he later admitted he had to come off because he was "not 100%".
Whilst the scale of his ailment remains to be seen, it should have Ange Postecoglou sweating about what life would be like without their star man. So, he must get to work on devising a plan for if he is ruled out of this weekend and beyond.
How is James Maddison performing this season?
As the Premier League's second-highest-rated player, with his 8.03 average Sofascore rating largely boosted by his two goals and four assists in six games, it should come as no surprise that his absence would prove catastrophic for the Lilywhites.
They have become heavily reliant on his creativity and desperation for the ball, as he pops up in all kinds of areas in an effort to help knit together the side.
This shows up through the fact that he averaged just shy of 70 touches per game, with such energy a prerequisite for an attacking midfielder in Postecoglou's setup. Such form and devotion to maintaining their play style has been lauded by teammate Heung-min Son: "He’s a really good player. For a couple of years we needed this kind of player to create chances and make passes, which is very important. Playing with him is a joy. Hopefully he can score and assist many goals.".
Replacing him would mark a tough feat, especially given how Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho cleaned them out of the bulk of their creative midfielders. However, perhaps given their surplus of wingers following the signing of Brennan Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski could move his tricky skillset into the engine room should he be needed.
Where could Dejan Kulusevski play?
Few boast similar levels of creativity as Maddison, whilst also remaining constantly involved and intelligent in possession.
The Sweden international has posted a 7.23 average rating of his own for this current league campaign, buoyed by his two goals. However, his lack of assists perhaps undersells his contribution, as he is averaging 2.5 key passes per game, alongside 51.5 touches per game, via Sofascore.
Were he to move centrally, both of these figures could skyrocket, given how the former Leicester City star is only managing 2.8 key passes per game whilst being handed a free role. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg certainly supports such a notion too, having branded his teammate a "magician" during a training session last year.
In fact, Kulusevski even admitted back in 2022 to modelling his game around a central star, suggesting that the £110k-per-week wizard has enough preparation to fulfil that position: "I study Kevin De Bruyne a lot because he is a phenomenal player and because I want to become like him.
2023/24
6
2
0
7.23
2022/23
30
2
7
6.83
2021/22
18
5
5
7.21
"It depends on the team, on the game. For how we play in Parma, the coach has found the perfect position for me — as a winger. When I was in the Primavera of Atalanta, on the other hand, I played more in the centre because the action had to start from behind. My perfect role? Behind the strikers. When I play, I don’t think about goals or assists."
With the likes of Hojbjerg, Rodrigo Bentancur, Oliver Skipp and Pape Sarr all unable to be deployed in a creative role, should Maddison's injury be worse than first thought, at least in the tricky winger they have someone capable of filling in and ensuring the drop off is not too harsh.