Preview Arsenal vs spurs; the stats and styles behind their fast starts

             Preview Arsenal vs spurs; the stats and styles behind their fast starts

On his leadership in the group, he said: “I try to take out the fact I’m a new player. I’m quite experienced now. I’m 26. I’m not a kid anymore, I’ve played a lot of games. I’ve been around football a long time now. Anything I can add or feel will benefit the team, I won’t just shout for a reason, if I have a message to get to the team.

That leadership in the changing room is important. I think I’d do it anyway without the vice-captaincy. That captain’s not the only leader. You can have leaders who don’t wear the armband. It’s just something I’ll do. Anything I can say to help the team, I will say. Whether I’ve been in the door four years or four weeks.”

Maddison says he would be “honoured” if fans eventually thought of him in a similar regard to former creative Spurs stars such as Paul Gascoigne, Christian Eriksen and Dele but to do achieve that status he knows he will need to deliver in big games, such as this weekend’s north London derby.

Maddison and his team-mates go there with a point to prove.

“If you ask the Arsenal camp, I don’t think it’s a brilliant time that they’d want to play us because we’ve started the season well,” he says. “I had a little bit of banter with Bukayo [Saka] and Rammers [Aaron Ramsdale] and Declan [Rice] on England duty, all in good spirit, and I’m really looking forward to the game.

“It’s these big occasions where we have to show we  progress as a team and continue these results on the big occasions. We want to show the Tottenham way and the new way we’ve got of playing under this manager.

“We’re still early in the manager’s reign but if you’re a fan that’s been watching you’ll have seen changes to the team. We’re not at the end goal yet because it’s a process and takes a long time.

“Just like you saw with Mikel Arteta, he went in and had a bit of a shaky start at times and now Arsenal are one of the most consistent performers in the league last year and were very close to winning the title.”

Tottenham and Maddison will be aiming for a victory on Sunday to show they have the potential to reach the same level.