24 November 2023 , 22:49
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The honeymoon period at Tottenham Hotspur looks very much over for Ange Postecoglou after he revealed his injury-ravaged squad has been hit by two further blows.
Having topped the Premier League table two games before the international break, things unravelled for Spurs at home to Chelsea, losing 4-1 in a game they finished with nine men. Both Micky van de Ven and James Maddison suffered injuries in the clash and have since been ruled out until 2024, and five days later Postecoglou's side were beaten 2-1 at Wolves.
They'll look to bounce back at home to Aston Villa on Sunday, but the manager must also contend with Richarlison, Ryan Sessegnon, Manor Solomon and Ivan Perisic also being sidelined with issues. And Cristian Romero and Yves Bissouma will be missing with suspension.
But on top of all those problems, Postecoglou has two fresh worries. According to the Evening Standard , Pape Sarr wasn't able to train with the first team on Friday after picking up knock on international duty with Senegal.
And teenage centre-back Ashley Phillips, tipped to be in the frame for selection given Tottenham's injury crisis, has been ruled out for up to four weeks after damaging his ankle playing for England Under-19s. In his pre-match press conference on Friday, the Aussie boss gave an update on both players.
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"Young Ashley Phillips picked up an ankle injury with the England team," he told reporters. "He’s out for a little while. We’re still assessing it but at least probably a month out.
Problems are mounting for Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou (Alex Morton/Tottenham Hotspur FC/REX/Shutterstock)HAVE YOUR SAY! Will Tottenham finish in the top four? Comment below.
“And we’re still checking on Pape Sarr, who has a bit of an issue coming back from the national team. We’ll see how he is. He didn’t train today. Aside from that, (Yves) Bissouma is suspended but we’ll get Destiny (Udogie) back. I think everyone else is OK.”
Spurs still lie fourth in the Premier League, only two points off leaders Manchester City. But they'll drop out of the Champions League spots if beaten by Villa, who lie just a point behind them.
Regardless, Postecoglou is still being widely lauded by club fans, having implemented an enterprising style of play since arriving in north London. That followed two successful years in Scotland with Celtic, winning a domestic treble in 2022/23.