Ange Postecoglou has constantly pointed to the injury crisis that he’s been enduring at Tottenham Hotspur amid the club’s terrible run of form.
Postecoglou has been without almost the entirety of his back five at Tottenham recently if you include Guglielmo Vicario alongside Spurs’ strongest back line.
Only Pedro Porro has avoided injury for Tottenham at the back – an incredibly difficult period for the club.
Postecoglou is under pressure in N17 – he’s not at immediate risk of losing his job but results do need to improve rapidly to keep Daniel Levy’s faith.
Tottenham have been linked with one Postecoglou replacement already, that’s the severity of the situation.
Cristian Romero returns to Tottenham training ahead of Europa League clash
That being said, news of Cristian Romero’s return to training will be incredibly welcome ahead of facing Hoffenheim in the Europa League on Thursday.
Romero and Micky van de Ven have arguably been Spurs’ biggest absences this season – Postecoglou’s side have rarely played to their full potential without the duo.
Romero, who Spurs signed for £42m back in 2021, has undoubtedly benefited from Van de Ven’s arrival alongside him, who Spurs will also want to recover as soon as possible.
Journalist George Sessions spotted Romero back in Spurs’ open training session before their important European tie, with Rodrigo Bentancur and Radu Dragusin also present.
It remains to be seen if Romero will be fit enough to play any part against Hoffenheim, but it’s still a big positive nonetheless for Spurs’ to recover the Argentina international.
Of course, Archie Gray will also be relieved to see Romero return, meaning he might finally be able to return to a midfield role once his teammate is fully fit.
Brandon Austin likely to start against Hoffenheim
Antonin Kinsky has already played for Slavia Prague in the Europa League this season meaning that Postecoglou is likely to return to Brandon Austin in goal.
Vicario is still thought to be a little while away from a return, but fortunately Austin has given a fairly good account of himself for Spurs’ when called upon of late.
In terms of other players who may get a chance, Mikey Moore will surely be pushing to start in Germany, especially given the absence of Brennan Johnson who picked up an injury recently.
In addition, after Richarlison performed well against Everton, he too will be hoping to prove his worth to Tottenham in a tie which could be crucial to securing a position in the Europa League’s automatic spots.
A relatively healthy selection issue for Postecoglou for once, who surely can’t afford another defeat in Germany.