Team comes first but James Maddison hopes to ‘shut up’ his critics

Tottenham playmaker James Maddison hopes his goal against Brentford “shuts up a few people”, but reiterated it is all about the team after Saturday’s 3-1 victory.

Maddison crowned a superb display with a fine chipped effort in the 85th minute to clinch the points after first-half efforts by Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson cancelled out Bryan Mbeumo’s 22-second opener.

The 27-year-old Maddison started the campaign with back-to-back assists but faced criticism following last weekend’s defeat to Arsenal and responded with his first goal since March.

“The team is always the most important. I would have been happy with my performance and how I played regardless of whether I got the goal,” Maddison reflected.

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“It obviously helped us in the game because we got that little cushion. It kind of shuts up a few people in the background who think the goals and assists do matter more than what they probably do.

“I am an attacking player who has always scored goals and always got assists, that’s my job.

“So when you are not doing that and even if you feel like you are playing well personally, helping the team, the gaffer is happy with what I’m doing, for some games you have it where I feel like I play really well in the build-up and help the team progress but you don’t get a goal or assist to show for that.

“And then people start questioning the numbers, so sometimes you have to take the outside noise with a pinch of salt, but on the other hand I love scoring goals and it was a nice feeling.

“I think I had to blow the dust off the old darts celebration because it has been a little while, but it felt so good in front of the South Stand to score.”

Maddison’s late clincher ended a run of 16 matches without a goal and followed a crucial cameo off the bench at Coventry on Wednesday.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou watched his substitutes score plenty of times last season and the feat was repeated in midweek to earn Carabao Cup progress.

England international Maddison told SpursPlay: “The gaffer says it constantly that we’re a team and it’s not about whoever scores.

“He used an analogy the other day which I thought was brilliant at Coventry. It’s like he makes changes, but it’s just handing on the baton. They go on or we come on and have an impact like the subs did.

“It’s important that people realise it’s not just about the goals, it’s sometimes (the job) for the team.

“Hopefully the fans enjoyed today and watched what we did. And that’s all because of the structure that comes from the gaffer.”

It was a case of deja vu for Brentford and Thomas Frank after they scored again after 22 seconds like at Manchester City last weekend.

“That’s another positive thing,” Frank acknowledged.

“We work on the kick-offs and some of it is how we position ourselves on the second balls and what we do after that.

“So, very pleased with that.”