Tottenham Hotspur fans had been waiting for 18 months to see James Maddison back in the starting XI, and he showed immediately what the North Londoners have been missing since last term.

After being named in the first XI against Coventry City, which happens to be his boyhood club, James Maddison instantly lifted the Tottenham side by adding more creativity, incisiveness and control in possession. It took only 14 minutes for the creative midfielder to make his mark on the fixture.

The 29-year-old broke the deadlock with a lovely curled finish into the top corner, giving the Coventry City goalkeeper Carl Rushworth absolutely no chance to save. The goal was the first time Tottenham took the lead in the Premier League this season.

Steve Nicol thinks James Maddison will be a key player for Tottenham this campaign

Maddison was a class apart, and most of Tottenham’s attacks went through him. The England international occupied different spots in the middle of the park, dictated the tempo of play and looked to play incisive through balls in behind the Coventry backline.

Former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol praised the 29-year-old’s performance in the win over Coventry, stressing that the quality Maddison can bring to Spurs will help improve their productivity.

“There’s no question James Maddison, between now and the rest of the season, is going to be key because they are right now struggling for quality in the final third, and absolutely he can deliver it,” Steve Nicol said on ESPN FC.

Maddison and Kulusevski can transform Tottenham’s attack

Creating chances and scoring goals have been a massive problem for Spurs since the start of last season. No surprises that Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missed the entirety of last campaign, bar the former’s cameo appearances in May.

The problem has continued this season, with De Zerbi’s side struggling for creativity and guile in the middle of the park to unlock low blocks. The return of Maddison and Kulusevski should solve those problems, with both more than capable of improving Tottenham’s output in the final third.

Maddison will be hoping to start back-to-back games for the Lilywhites, while Kulusevski will hope to build on his long-awaited return with further minutes against Chelsea at the weekend. Whether De Zerbi will hand Maddison another start in what is likely to be an intense London derby at Stamford Bridge remains to be seen.