A brief pause in play has come at exactly the right time for Ange Postecoglou and his Tottenham squad. Following their return to Europe this campaign, Spurs' calendar has been rather hectic to say the least with games coming every three or four days since the beginning of September.
Needing a big squad to cope with the relentless demands of Thursday-Sunday football, Postecoglou has had limited options to work with over the past two months due to an injury crisis. At a time when the players have required a much-needed breather, the boss has had no option but to continue to play them and that has seen Tottenham suffer in the Premier League as a result.
Not having a full week between games since the end of August, this week Spurs have the luxury of a six-day break going into Saturday's Newcastle United fixture. A rare occurrence for the team in the 2024/25 campaign, it is something that has allowed Postecoglou to give his squad a bit of time off before they reconvene at their training base on Wednesday.
"Yeah, it was always planned," he said after last Sunday's 2-2 draw with Wolves. "We kind of knew this is the first week where we don't have a midweek game, so I think the whole group probably needs a couple of days just to get away from everything and recover, because it's been fairly intense for a real small core group of players, particularly over the last four or five weeks and I think it'll do them good to have a couple of days to themselves with their families and give them a chance to recover mentally as much as physically."
On what he will do with the time off, he added: "Yeah, I'll just keep going, mate. We've got work to do and try to get some help for these players and our role is to try and give them everything we can, the support we can to perform at their best."
Tottenham need results once they return to action, starting on Saturday at home to Newcastle. So what will be on Postecoglou's to-do list this week now that he has time on the training pitch with his players? football.london takes a look below.
Ensure players are refreshed
The first thing Postecoglou and his coaching staff need to do is ensure his players are feeling refreshed after a couple of days away from Hotspur Way. As important as it is that they physically recover from their punishing schedule, it is also vital that they mentally recover from it as well.
This six-day break between games is only a one-off for Tottenham as January is set to be a very busy month with four midweek games on the horizon. February could also follow suit if the Lilywhites do not finish in the top eight of the Europa League league phase table and instead have to play a two-legged knockout play-off tie for a spot in the final 16 of the competition.
That is why it is vital that the Spurs squad get sufficient rest over the next few days and are not pushed too much with eight games to come in January. The last thing they want right now are further injury issues.
Check on injured players
Postecoglou will be hoping for some positive news on the injury front as Tottenham bid to make a strong start to the year. Admitting last week that Ben Davies has suffered a setback and faces another couple of weeks on the sidelines, it shouldn't be too long until Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are hopefully in a position to play again.
Postecoglou will also have his fingers crossed that Destiny Udogie does not require a long spell on the sidelines after injuring his hamstring against Wolves last weekend. Some positive news on the injury front, however, is that Richarlison and Mikey Moore are due to return to first-team training this week.
That could potentially mean that they take their place in the matchday squad very soon and give the boss some more options in attack. New signing Yang Min-hyeok could also add to the numbers now that he is a Tottenham player with January 1 officially marking his move to the club.
Decide on midfield trio vs Newcastle
One player Tottenham will unfortunately have to do without against Newcastle is Rodrigo Bentancur. Only just returning from a seven-match domestic ban, the Uruguayan had to avoid a yellow card in the Wolves match to stop him from obtaining a one-match suspension for five yellow cards in the first 19 Premier League games of the season.
It was typical of Tottenham's luck that the midfielder received a yellow card seconds before the full-time whistle against Wolves. Postecoglou now has a decision to make over his midfield trio to face Newcastle with Bentancur having to watch on from the stands.
Pape Matar Sarr will very likely come back into the side after having a rest against Wolves, with James Maddison also hoping to get the nod in the middle of the park. It's a big call facing the head coach as Newcastle are flourishing right now with their midfield three of Sandro Tonali, Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes wowing together.
Stop Isak
Archie Gray could be set for another huge test this weekend with Alexander Isak in red-hot form for Newcastle right now. The Swede has scored in his last six Premier League games, notching eight goals in the process for the Magpies.
Newcastle have some very good attacking options in their side, with Isak chief among them after making a real name for himself in the Premier League since his move from Real Sociedad. Going on the chances that Tottenham do present to their opponents, Isak will be licking his lips at the prospect of adding to his impressive tally on Saturday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Tottenham have no option but to nullify the 25-year-old.
Son confidence boost
Son Heung-min could certainly do with a confidence boost going into this weekend's game after his penalty miss against Wolves. It's just not quite happened for the Tottenham captain this season, with the attacker only managing to register seven goals in all competitions so far.
Postecoglou resisted the temptation of resting Son from the off in the recent games over the festive period and it would be a shock if he now chose to do it against Newcastle, especially on the back of a six-day break. Tottenham need to find a way of returning to form and the same goes for Son.
A pivotal player for the team ever since his move from Germany, Spurs now more than ever need the 32-year-old to return to the top of his game.
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