James Maddison Leicester City
James Maddison is aiming to emulate the high standards set by David Beckham. He showcased his skill with a remarkable free-kick goal against Aston Villa, a strike reminiscent of Beckham’s best moments, which contributed to Tottenham Hotspur’s decisive 4-1 victory. Maddison, coming off the bench later in the game, delivered a precise free-kick that found the net past Emi Martinez, celebrated for his role as Argentina’s World Cup hero.
James Maddison said, “I used to watch Becks closely. I think last season was the first year I ever had in my whole career where I didn’t score a direct free-kick. I have scored quite a few I reckon, maybe 15-16 direct free-kicks, so it annoyed me last year that I didn’t get one. To be honest, I don’t feel like we have had that many good opportunities for whatever reason – we don’t seem to get direct free-kicks in good positions. But that was a good position (against Villa) and I managed to stick it away. How much training goes into that execution? About 25 years probably! I love free-kicks, and I always did because I loved Becks and I was a Manchester United fan when I was young.”
**Reflecting on the Goal and Tactics Against Aston Villa**
Maddison expressed his satisfaction with the free-kick execution and discussed the challenges of taking such close-range shots. Despite being under pressure, he managed to score against Martinez, who was recently voted the world’s best goalkeeper at the Ballon d’Or awards.
James Maddison said, “Yeah, it was a nice one, wasn’t it? It can be difficult sometimes, the really close ones which are right on the edge of the box. You haven’t got as much time to get it up and down, so it’s why I took it a little bit quicker. As soon as the whistle went, I was already leaning into it, to try and catch Martinez out a bit, because he’s a good goalkeeper. Thankfully it went into that top bracket.”
**Spurs’ Performance and Managerial Influence**
Reflecting on Tottenham’s performance against Villa, Maddison highlighted the team’s intensity and the calm demeanor of their manager during halftime. Despite being 1-0 down, Spurs maintained their composure and belief in their ability to dominate the game.
James Maddison added, “We turned the screw and they couldn’t live with our intensity. But that’s why the manager at half-time stayed so calm, because he knows that we have got a chance to blow teams away in quick periods. Even at 1-0 down, he’s just like, ‘Get your heads up’. We know we can go and score four goals in a half against any team because that is what we do with our intensity. Thankfully that’s exactly what we did.”
