Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou believes the injury crisis ravaging his squad serves as a stark warning for the entirety of football. As fixture lists grow ever more congested, the Australian tactician fears such scenarios will only become more prevalent unless clubs are permitted to expand the size of their playing staffs.
Spurs find themselves at breaking point ahead of Thursday’s crucial Europa League encounter with Hoffenheim in Germany. A meager contingent of just 13 first-team players will make the trip, as Pape Matar Sarr becomes the latest name added to a burgeoning treatment room. With Sergio Reguilón, Yang Min-hyeok, Djed Spence and Antonin Kinsky all ineligible for the match, Postecoglou’s options are severely limited as his side seeks to secure a place in the competition’s knockout phase.
A Growing Trend in European Football
“We’ve been hit the hardest but it is becoming more prevalent,” Postecoglou lamented in his pre-match press conference. “If you look at the teams in Europe, even last year Newcastle really suffered, and Villa to a certain extent this year. You really need a strong squad and to keep them healthy to cope with playing in Europe if you do well in the cup competitions like we have – because it’s not manageable when you’ve got three games a week for the length of time we have.”
The former Celtic boss rejected suggestions that Tottenham need to reevaluate their recruitment strategy in light of the current predicament. Instead, he maintains that increasing squad sizes is the only viable solution as the demands placed upon players continue to intensify.
“If you’re going to play this much football you should be increasing squad numbers,” Postecoglou insisted. “It doesn’t matter what strategies you put in place. If you want to compete at this level and happen to do well in all competitions there’s no other way to counteract it.”
– Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham Hotspur Manager
A Game Changing Rapidly
“I don’t think it’s a matter of the club’s strategy or recruiting. It’s just the sheer numbers, a scenario where we’ve got limited numbers for all competitions. You’ve got to factor international football into that. It’s not like they get a break between seasons. The calendar’s really ramped up. In the last five years the game has changed a lot from the previous 50 years. There’s going to be some issues if the game keeps changing this quickly.”
A Makeshift Defense in Germany
The absences of Destiny Udogie, Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilón could force Postecoglou to deploy 18-year-old midfielder Archie Gray at left-back against Hoffenheim. Despite struggling as part of a back three in Sunday’s chastening defeat to Everton, Gray insists his confidence has not been dented by the experience.
“I don’t think any negative will ever shake me,” the teenager affirmed. “I spoke to my Dad after the game and he just said you’ve got to learn from these things – if you want to be a footballer, you’re going to have those games and you’ve got to learn from them.”
– Archie Gray, Tottenham Hotspur Midfielder
The Stakes in Sinsheim
While their hosts sit 17th in the Bundesliga and are embroiled in their own tussle for European survival, Spurs will take little comfort in Hoffenheim’s domestic travails. Occupying 9th spot in the Europa League standings, the Londoners must emerge victorious at the PreZero Arena if they are to have any hope of avoiding the much-maligned playoff round on the path to the last 16.
In this most unforgiving of seasons, Postecoglou’s patched-up ensemble find themselves in the unenviable position of needing to pull off a result with the odds firmly stacked against them. Should they fall short, the inquest into Tottenham’s injury-ravaged campaign will only intensify, lending further credence to their manager’s calls for a drastic rethink of how the modern game treats its protagonists.
