Peter Crouch backs "crucial" duo to lead Spurs to Brentford victory
Former Spurs striker Peter Crouch is excited to see his former club welcome back James Maddison for Wednesday's game against Brentford hot on the heels of Micky van de Ven's return.
Maddison was forced off against Chelsea in November, the same game in which star centre-back Van de Ven picked up a hamstring injury. While Van de Ven returned to the starting line-up against Manchester United in the league, it’s been a longer road back for England ace Maddison after his ankle problem.
Maddison returned from the bench in Friday’s FA Cup exit against Manchester City. And Crouch, who had two spells with Spurs as a player, feels the former Leicester man could be vital in the run-in with stars still away at the Asian Cup and Africa Cup of Nations.
Son Heung-min and Yves Bissouma are among the players away on international duty, increasing the focus on those who are available to Ange Postecoglou. “I know everyone loses key players and I think everyone can argue their case, but Spurs had just got on an even keel after last year,” said Crouch, speaking on behalf of TNT Sports who will show the midweek fixtures in the Premier League this week
“They'd been absolutely flying at the start of the season, then to lose all those players - I know it wasn't all at the same time but there was that one game where they lost Van de Ven and Maddison, I just think they're so crucial to what they do and what they were doing. I still think they've coped reasonably well, but they're really key players for Spurs.”
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Crouch doesn’t expect his former club to do any transfer deadline day business, but has been impressed by their early swoop for ex-Chelsea forward Timo Werner. The German international joined early in the window, as did Radu Dragusin, but Werner has featured more prominently than the young defender.
“If you get a confident Werner I think he'll be a really good stopgap,” Crouch continued. “Already he looks more confident in a Spurs shirt than he ever did in a Chelsea one - so I think they've done pretty good business in January.”
How will Spurs fare against Brentford on Wednesday? Have your say in the comments section
Brentford have Ivan Toney available again after suspension (Getty Images)Spurs and Brentford shared the spoils when they met back in August, with all four goals in the 2-2 draw coming before half-time. Thomas Frank's side will be without goalscorer Bryan Mbeumo for the return fixture, but can call upon Ivan Toney as the striker looks to score in successive games after his eight-month ban.
"From Ivan Toney's point of view, the worst thing he wants is a break now," Crouch added. "He'll want to be playing every single week, [it'll be] frustrating for him. But coping with him, I suppose Spurs shouldn't be concerned about Brentford, they've got a calibre of player to aim far higher and should be fine.
"I always found myself when I was a player, sometimes you become a better player without playing. Because they've struggled, everyone goes 'as soon as he's back they'll be fine', which will obviously give a player like Toney a load of confidence. But I think it will be interesting to see at the end of the season what happens, considering if he does fire them to safety there will probably be a parting of ways."
TNT Sports will exclusively broadcast Premier League midweek fixtures from Tuesday 30 th January to Thursday 1 st February. TNT Sports is available through its streaming destination discovery+ and across all major TV platforms. This isn’t Just Sport, This is Everything. For more info visit: tntsports.co.uk/football
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