Tottenham could be boosted by return of James Maddison and Manor Solomon in FA Cup tie vs Manchester City
Tottenham have received a huge double boost ahead of their FA Cup fourth-round tie against Manchester City, with James Maddison and Manor Solomon both in line to feature.
Spurs will welcome Pep Guardiola’s side, the current holders of the FA Cup, to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Friday 26 January as both sides look to advance to the fifth round of England’s oldest cup competition.
Ange Postecoglou will be without key players such as Son Heung-min, Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr, with all three away on international duty, which makes Spurs’ most recent injury update all the more important.
As per Matt Law via the Daily Telegraph (18 January), Maddison and Solomon are both targeting a return to action against last season’s treble-winners.
Maddison has been sidelined since the beginning of November and Law has detailed that he is “on schedule” to return against City, and could be joined by Solomon who hasn’t been seen since early October.
If Maddison can play any part in the FA Cup clash, it will certainly boost Spurs supporters’ hopes of victory.
Following his £40million switch from Leicester City during the summer (Sky Sports News, 29 June 2023), the England international midfielder quickly became a key player for Postecoglou.
He scored three goals and provided five assists in his first 11 league matches in Spurs colours, acting as the creative heartbeat of the team.
His goal away at Bournemouth during Spurs’ 2-0 win against the Cherries on 26 August demonstrated his real quality and threat in and around the opposition’s penalty area.
As seen in the image above, once Pape Matar Sarr picked up the ball and drove toward the Bournemouth box, Maddison began to make a late run.
Sarr picked his teammate out with a delightful through ball, and Maddison finished first time with the deftest of touches.
It is the kind of attacking quality which Postecoglou cries out for from his midfielders and is the type of movement which has hardly been seen in Maddison’s absence.
As per fbref, the 27-year-old ranks in the top one per cent of his positional peers in the Premier League this season for the number of shots on target he has had (1.53 per 90), and his number of shot-creating actions (8.17 per 90).
This proves he is a goalscoring threat himself, as well as a player who can pick a killer pass.
Maddison also ranks in the top one per cent for the number of progressive passes he has played (9.91 per 90) and the number of passes he has played into the penalty area (3.27 per 90).
His return to the team could be crucial, and while it won’t grab as many headlines, Solomon’s return could also offer Postecoglou some much-needed creative relief.
The winger provided two assists in his first league start for the club during the 5-2 win at Turf Moor against Burnley on 2 September 2023 and has hardly had the chance to showcase what he can do since.
Both players will be looking to make an impact upon their return to the team, and what better place to make that impact than in a cup tie with the champions?
In other Tottenham news, Spurs’ plans for Jamie Donley have been revealed.
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