James Maddison is humiliated mercilessly by Joe Cole for making a mistake, leaving him red-faced.
When England midfielder James Maddison was spotted squirting a water bottle the wrong way prior to England’s victory against Australia, Channel 4 Sport analyst Joe Cole ripped on him.
After a humorous video of James Maddison grappling with a water bottle before England’s narrow 1-0 victory over Australia was broadcast on television, Joe Cole poked fun of Maddison.
The 26-year-old Maddison was selected for the Three Lions’ starting lineup on Friday night against the Socceroos, who were defeated by an Ollie Watkins goal in the second half. Many more players joined Maddison and Watkins in their quest to secure a starting spot for the European Championships at Wembley next summer.
Even though Maddison’s early-season play for Tottenham has drawn attention recently, a video of him appearing perplexed by a water bottle went viral before the game.
Maddison could be seen holding the bottle to his mouth, but he didn’t appear to understand why the water was spraying out in front of him rather than into his mouth. The video gained popularity on social media right away, and Cole, who was reviewing Friday night’s game on Channel 4, took notice of it.
Cole joked: “I was playing golf with James the other day and on his first shot, I don’t think he made it past the women’s tee, so hopefully he’ll put in a better performance today.” This came after hosts Jules Breach and Jill Scott had picked up on Maddison’s gaffe.
After the game, when Maddison was shown the tape, he argued that he was jokingly trying to spray a staff member out of shot. When asked about a rare start for his nation, he was, however, far more serious.
“England is the pinnacle and I never want to take that for granted,” Maddison remarked following the game. You must seize the chance with both hands if you are offered the chance to wear the garment. Whether it’s off to the left, right, or center, it’ll be a tremendous moment, and with a win on Tuesday night, we can guarantee qualifying. That is the objective and the main focus.
In a replay of the Euro 2020 final, which Italy won on penalties, the Three Lions and Italy will square off in a Euro 2024 qualifying encounter on Tuesday night at Wembley. And Maddison acknowledged that England will be out to make up some unfinished business.
He said, “Definitely a little bit, when asked if that would be the case. When we played Italy in Naples back in March, that was the message. We were eager to break the record of England not having won in Italy in a long time, and we were successful. After what happened the last time, I have no doubt that the guys will be really motivated.
