James Maddison Returns as Spurs Prepare for Premier League Season

James Maddison finally pulled a Spurs shirt back on this weekend – and not a moment too soon for a club bracing for the new Premier League season with more questions than answers.

For weeks, the concern was real. Maddison had not played a single minute over the summer, still troubled by an unspecified issue that followed the anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered in pre-season last year, an injury that wiped out most of his campaign. With just days left before Roberto De Zerbi’s side open at Brentford, the prospect of their chief creator starting another year watching from the sidelines loomed large.

On Sunday, that anxiety eased. Quietly, and away from the cameras.

Maddison back, Spurs go behind closed doors

Tottenham named Maddison in the starting XI for a second meeting with Hoffenheim in less than 24 hours, this one staged behind closed doors at Hotspur Way in Enfield. The night before, 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 home supporters.

This time, it was a different cast. A completely changed Spurs XI. A very different feel.

Maddison lasted 45 minutes on his first start in nearly a year. Rust showed. Early on, he lost the ball inside his own box and then fouled Leon Avdullahu, handing Hoffenheim a penalty. Adam Hlozek did the rest from the spot to put the visitors in front.

Mixed, then, but meaningful. Maddison was back on the pitch, moving, competing, taking contact. At half-time he made way for youngster Reiss Elliot-Parris, job done for the day.

Fernandes goes the distance, Davies levels

If Maddison’s return was the headline, Mateus Fernandes quietly delivered the full performance Spurs wanted to see.

The £85million summer signing from West Ham completed the full 90 minutes, an important step after a calf problem picked up on the club’s pre-season tour of New Zealand and Australia. He looked ready. Sharp on the ball, busy off it.

His big moment came on 20 minutes. From a short corner routine, Fernandes whipped in a pinpoint cross and Ben Davies attacked it, the veteran defender powering home from close range to level the game. Simple, direct, effective.

Tottenham’s confidence grew. The pressure told again just before the break.

Williams-Barnett strikes, Hoffenheim hit back

Pape Matar Sarr, also making his way back into action on Sunday alongside Rodrigo Bentancur, drove through midfield with purpose. The ball broke to highly rated young winger Luca Williams-Barnett, who took his chance with authority, drilling past Luca Philipp to turn the game on its head before half-time.

For a moment, Spurs looked in control. Youth, energy, returning legs – it all seemed to click.

Hoffenheim refused to fade. After the restart, Valentin Gendrey caught Brandon Austin with a well-taken volley to make it 2-2. The visitors then went close again when Kevin Danso rattled the crossbar, a warning that Spurs’ makeshift side were still short of rhythm.

Tottenham pushed late on. Teenage winger Miracle Adewole almost snatched it, going close as the hosts chased a winner that never came. The final whistle left the score level but the day was never really about the result.

Big names missing as Brentford looms

For De Zerbi and the Spurs hierarchy, the sight of Maddison and Fernandes getting vital minutes, along with Bentancur, Sarr, Williams-Barnett and Souza, offers real encouragement. The fitness sheet, though, still makes grim reading in places.

Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie and Mohammed Kudus did not play at all in pre-season. Not a single minute. That is a glaring concern with Brentford up first.

The same goes for Dejan Kulusevski. He 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, while goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario also sat out and is expected to leave the club before the summer transfer deadline on September 1.

Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons remain long-term absentees. Pedro Porro, fresh from Spain’s World Cup triumph, skipped pre-season due to an extended holiday but returned to the club earlier this week and now faces a race to be ready.

So Spurs leave their final tune-up with a playmaker back, a record signing up to speed and several key midfielders ticking over. But with a spine still incomplete and no pre-season minutes for some of their most important players, how quickly can De Zerbi weld this squad into a side ready for the grind of another Premier League year?