Clock ticking for Maddison to rediscover magic touch and secure place at Finals

TOTTENHAM'S north London derby defeat was another frustrating outing for James Maddison, who was withdrawn shortly after the hour-mark with his side trailing 3-0.

- Dan Kilpatrick

Maddison failed to make any real impact on a strange game - having probably been the man-of-the-match.

in the 2-2 draw at the Emirates in September and it was the fifth time in the past six matches that he has been replaced in the 70th minute or sooner, with Spurs needing to score on each occasion.

Maddison was Spurs' creative force in his first 10 appearances, winning this season's inaugural Premier League player of the month award, and by the time his season was derailed by ankle ligament damage in the catastrophic 4-1 defeat to Chelsea on November 6, he had directly contributed to eight goals.

Since returning to the pitch in late January, the 27-year-old has not hit the same heights and he is on track for a strange maiden season in north London: outstanding for a third, absent for a third and subdued for a third.

Ange Postecoglou, the Spurs head coach, has defended Maddison's performances this year, pointing out that he is one of several players impacted by the club's strange stop-start schedule, while Maddison himself said recently he feels close to his best.