Ange Postecoglou already has Tottenham solution to his James Maddison problem for Chelsea clash

It was once again another early exit for James Maddison as Tottenham were defeated 3-2 by Arsenal in Sunday's North London Derby. Trailing 3-0 at the break with the visitors netting all three of their goals far too easily from a Spurs perspective, Ange Postecoglou's men left themselves with a mountain to climb in what remained of the contest.

Having a lot of the ball and getting into some good areas of the pitch, Tottenham just couldn't make their possession count and Maddison unfortunately had no impact on proceedings at a time when his team needed him to grab the game by the scruff of the neck. The England international was virtually anonymous in his 64 minutes and he perhaps was fortunate to last that long on the pitch as he could have been hooked a lot earlier.

Such a pivotal player for Tottenham in the opening weeks of the season as they moved to the top of the Premier League table, the 27-year-old has looked a shadow of his former self since his return from injury. Chipping in with three goals and five assists in his first 11 Premier League games for the club, Maddison has only managed one goal and two assists in the 12 games since making his comeback in January's 3-2 win over Brentford.

In that period, the ex-Norwich City man has only managed the full 90 minutes on one occasion, with that coming in February's home victory over Brighton & Hove Albion. Postecoglou has continued to start Maddison despite his drop in form but he may now have a decision to make over his summer signing ahead of Thursday evening's London derby clash with Chelsea.

Something that was perhaps unthinkable only a few months ago, a place on the substitutes' bench for the first time this season could possibly be key to revitalising the player in