James Maddison Returns to Action for Tottenham
James Maddison finally pulled on a Tottenham shirt again on Sunday, ending an anxious summer for Spurs with a low-key, high-importance run-out behind closed doors.
For weeks, the playmaker had been a ghost of pre-season. An unspecified issue, lingering in the wake of the anterior cruciate ligament injury that wrecked his last campaign, kept him out of every public friendly. With just days left before Roberto De Zerbi’s first Premier League game in charge at Brentford, the fear was simple: another season starting without their creator-in-chief.
That cloud lifted, at least partially, at Hotspur Way.
Maddison back on the pitch
Named in a completely changed starting XI for a second meeting with Hoffenheim in less than 24 hours, Maddison got 45 valuable minutes in Enfield – his first start in almost a year.
It was not a smooth return. Early on, he lost the ball inside his own box and then fouled Leon Avdullahu, handing Adam Hlozek the chance to put Hoffenheim ahead from the penalty spot. The forward obliged. Rust was inevitable; the important detail for Tottenham was that Maddison was moving, competing, and back in the rhythm of a match.
At half-time, his job done for the day, he made way for youngster Reiss Elliot-Parris.
A very different scene had played out the previous afternoon. Spurs had swept aside the same Bundesliga side 3-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Mikey Moore scoring twice and Richarlison also finding the net in front of their own fans. This time there were no crowds, no noise, just staff, players and a manager studying fitness, sharpness and body language.
Fernandes stakes his claim
If Maddison’s return was the headline, Mateus Fernandes quietly delivered the performance of the day.
Tottenham’s £85million signing from West Ham completed the full 90 minutes, a significant step after a calf problem picked up on the club’s tour of New Zealand and Australia. The Portuguese international looked ready. Confident on the ball, aggressive without it, he again showed why Spurs paid so heavily to prise him from a rival.
His biggest contribution came on 20 minutes. A short corner routine worked its way back to Fernandes, who whipped in a precise cross that begged to be attacked. Ben Davies did exactly that, powering a close-range header past Luca Philipp to level the game.
From there, Tottenham grew. The pressure finally told just before half-time.
Pape Matar Sarr, himself making a return to action, drove through midfield and punched a run straight at the Hoffenheim back line. The ball broke for Luca Williams-Barnett, the highly rated young winger taking a touch before firing coolly past Philipp. Another academy talent on the scoresheet, another reminder of the depth bubbling under De Zerbi’s senior squad.
Sarr was not the only midfielder back in the fold. Rodrigo Bentancur also featured, another important piece edging closer to full tilt.
Hoffenheim hit back as Spurs search for a winner
The second half swung again.
Valentin Gendrey found space and beat Brandon Austin with a volley to haul Hoffenheim level, a sharp finish that underlined the visitors’ threat even in this controlled environment. Kevin Danso then rattled the crossbar as Spurs briefly lost their grip.
De Zerbi’s side responded. They pushed, probed, and almost nicked it late on when teenage winger Miracle Adewole went close, only to be denied as the game finished level. No win this time, but minutes banked, legs stretched, decisions made.
Fitness boosts – and fresh worries
For all the positives around Maddison, Fernandes, Bentancur, Sarr, Williams-Barnett and Souza getting on the pitch, the absentees cast a long shadow.
Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie and Mohammed Kudus did not play a single minute of pre-season. With Brentford looming, that is more than a footnote; it is a major concern for a new head coach trying to bed in ideas at Premier League speed.
The same applies to Dejan Kulusevski. The Swede is only just working his way back in training after a knee injury that has kept him out since May 2025. Dominic Solanke was missing again on Sunday, adding to the uncertainty in attack.
In goal, the situation looks even more delicate. Guglielmo Vicario was absent once more and is expected to leave before the summer transfer deadline on September 1, leaving Spurs facing a potential reshuffle in one of the most sensitive positions on the pitch.
Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons remain sidelined with long-term injuries. Pedro Porro, meanwhile, did not feature at all in pre-season after being granted an extended holiday following Spain’s World Cup triumph, though he reported back to the club earlier this week.
So Tottenham head towards Brentford with their chief creator back, their record midfield signing looking sharp, and several key cogs still missing. De Zerbi has seen enough to know what this team could become.
The question now is whether he will have the players on the pitch in time to show it.
