It wouldn't be a typical Tottenham season if the manager wasn't struck by injury concern after injury concern. Indeed, in true Spurs fashion, they have welcomed Thomas Frank as they don't mean to go on;,with several selection headaches.
For the most part, Tottenham has overcome many injury dilemmas thrown their way. Thomas Frank has been forced into improvising, which only boosts his place in Spurs' hearts.
However, as the weeks go by, it's clear to see that this dilemma is taking a toll on Tottenham. If the weekend's disaster against Aston Villa is anything to go by, then it could have a troublesome affect on Spurs going forward.
Spurs are missing several key players, including (but not limited to) James Maddison, Dominic Solanke and Cristian Romero. This alone would be enough to derail most clubs' seasons. Strongest center forward, strongest midfielder, and strongest center back (all of those are debatable, I know) all being injured and unavailable right now certainly doesn't look great.
But that's not the end of Tottenham's troubles. They nearly have a full starting lineup of players injured right now, and admittedly, it's close to beating their available lineup.
Tottenham's current injuries by position
Position | Players injured |
|---|---|
Goalkeepers | None |
Full-backs | Ben Davies |
Center backs | Radu Drăgușin, Kōta Takai, Cristian Romero, |
Midfielders | Yves Bissouma, James Maddison, |
Wingers | Dejan Kulusevski |
Center forwards | Randal Kolo Muani, Dominic Solanke |
So, you can see why Tottenham has been struggling lately. There is an injury in almost every position, which begs the question about how Frank has managed to stay afloat with all this thrown his way.
A positive spin which you could take is that Tottenham can only improve. There is also every chance that more players will be added to that injury pile, but situations like this are unprecedented. This is likely the worst it can get for Tottenham.
When key players start returning to the pitch, we can see what the real Tottenham is about.
Right now, Tottenham's attack is being carried by Mohammed Kudus. This is not necessarily a bad thing because it looks great for Tottenham's recruitment, but there's no denying that the reliance on one player is not sustainable in the long run.
Spurs also haven't been helped by long-term injuries. But again, that's like saying the grass hasn't been helped by being green.