Three Injured Ahead of Tottenham v Wycombe
By Ryan Wrenn
Mauricio Pochettino listed three players who are set to be sidelined for Saturday’s FA Cup fourth round matchup between Tottenham and Wycombe Wanderers.
The Evening Standards reports that Toby Alderweireld, Danny Rose and Harry Kane will all be held back as Tottenham take on their League Two opponents at White Hart Lane on Saturday.
In truth, none of these three were likely to play any part in the match. Pochettino will be anxious to progress to the next round of the cup, but his sights will remain firmly set on Tuesday’s trip to Sunderland. That will mean, as we covered in our lineup preview, a largely rotated squad.
Still, there’s some reason to be concerned with any news of injuries, even if they don’t change how matters would have played out anyways.
That’s particularly true of Alderweireld. The Belgian limped off the pitch midway through the second half of Tottenham’s 2-2 draw at Manchester City with apparent hamstring strain.
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Spurs were deprived of Alderweireld’s services already once this season when a knee injury kept him out from October through the beginning of December.
It’s hardly a coincidence that Spurs recorded precisely zero wins over that time period. Alderweireld is arguably the best individual defender in the Premier League, but his movement forward and incisive diagonal punts forward add a whole layer to Spurs’ attack.
He isn’t the only vital component of the side’s defense. Rose is distinguishing himself, along with fellow full-back Kyle Walker, as a profoundly devastating two-way threat. His adventurous runs forward continue apace while his defending and off-the-ball play are evolving match by match.
As important as either of those players might be, they fall short of the talismanic quality of reigning Golden Boot holder Harry Kane. The striker has scored 13 goals this term despite missing also missing a month and half of the season — including a hat-trick against West Brom two weeks ago. He will miss out thanks to a minor groin strain.
Next: FA Cup Affords Tottenham Chance to Test New Players and Roles
Thankfully, Pochettino believes all three of these players will be available for the trip north to the Stadium of Light. After the disappointing but fortunate draw at City, Tottenham will be desperate to get back to winning ways.