Ange Postecoglou makes exciting James Maddison prediction after Tottenham thrash Man City

Pedro Porro and substitute Brennan Johnson scored aft the interruption arsenic City suffered a 5th consecutive defeat, bringing to an extremity their tally of 52 games unbeaten astatine the Etihad Stadium.

Maddison played conscionable 14 minutes of Spurs' erstwhile 2 League games having slipped down Dejan Kulusevski and Pape Matar Sarr successful Postecoglou's pecking bid but, with Kulusevski backmost connected the close wing, the England playmaker was decisive.

"He was truly bully for america earlier successful the play and past helium had a mates of benignant of level games but I deliberation the full squad has," Postecoglou said of his vice-captain.

"I besides judge there's much successful Madders and, and I deliberation that's connected me. That's my relation arsenic a manager.

"If I'm not getting a maximum magnitude retired of the players, the squad against Ipswich, oregon individuals, past it's astir benignant of immoderate aforesaid reflection of 'well, ok, tin I bash thing antithetic with them?'

"But the happening astir Madders was helium evidently didn't spell distant connected planetary duty. He had 2 weeks with america and the coaches worked truly hard with him and helium was moving truly hard astatine grooming and I could conscionable spot and said helium was acceptable for a large game.

"He hasn't benignant of lowered his ambitions of the benignant of subordinate helium wants to beryllium and it's astir america giving him that level and it wasn't conscionable his goals today.

"I thought helium was truly important for america successful the build-up due to the fact that helium was ever looking for it successful choky areas and, and defensively, helium worked truly hard. So recognition to him.

"I inactive deliberation he's had a decent season, but it's similar america arsenic a team, we privation to beryllium much than that, we privation to beryllium much than conscionable a decent team."

Spurs came into the crippled connected the backmost of a 2-1 location decision to previously-winless Ipswich earlier the planetary interruption and sitting 11th successful the table.

They were without first-choice centre-backs Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, with Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies filling in, and had 5 teenagers connected the bench. Postecoglou acknowledged that helium did not expect specified a resounding triumph but praised the levels of his depleted side.

"You don't travel to a spot similar this reasoning that it's going to beryllium astir apt arsenic convincing arsenic it was for america successful presumption of conscionable the mode we handled it," helium said.

"City trial you successful each shot mode possible. You've got to bash a spot of everything. You've got to defend, you've got to enactment hard, beryllium disciplined and you've got to play football.

"I thought successful each 4 areas we truly got to a truly beardown level contiguous wherever the players were truly determined, aft a truly disappointing crippled past clip and we conscionable got backmost to our halfway beliefs arsenic a team.

"Credit to the lads. I thought they were conscionable outstanding retired determination today.

"We knew that successful the archetypal 10 minutes they'd travel retired flying, particularly with the 4 losses they've had were distant from home. So being astatine home, there'd beryllium an vigor successful the stadium.

"We were going to person to upwind the storm, which I thought we did reasonably good and past we conscionable grew into the crippled and I'm conscionable truthful pleased for the players, for the content they person successful trying to play the mode we privation to and past you get a reward similar that. I deliberation it conscionable furthers hopefully our progression."

The Australian added: "I thought Ben and Radu were truly focused, I thought Vic [Guglielmo Vicario] down them was truly affirmative arsenic good with his positioning and the mode they communicated. I thought Biss [Yves Bissouma] was important to that.

"I deliberation the cardinal for america was we had to bash it arsenic a corporate today. I deliberation erstwhile you play City, you can't trust connected individuals to find solutions retired determination and collectively, I thought we defended truly well, but recognition to those 2 guys and not conscionable defensively, but we had to play retired from the back.

"It was the lone mode we were going to present balls to the areas we wanted to and some Ben and Radu didn't shy distant from that. It wasn't ever easy, but they consistently were looking for the shot and looking for america to play retired from the back. So recognition to those guys."