Tottenham Hotspur fans have been waiting with baited breath for news about the health of several of Spurs’ players ahead of Sunday’s first North London Derby of the season. Ange Postecoglou has provided some answers, and it’s somewhat of a mixed bag.
In an update posted on the club website, Postecoglou gave a positive update on Micky van de Ven and Dominic Solanke, but there are major questions over Yves Bissouma, and confirmation that Richarlison and Will Lankshear remain in rehab.
“It’s fairly positive [news]. Micky [van de Ven]’s good, he’s trained all the way through the international break and it was good for him to stay with us to build him back up so he’s ready to go.
“[Dominic Solanke] improved as well and trained the back half of this week. We still have two days to go with those guys so hopefully they get through training ok and are available.
“We had the last of the boys in late yesterday so we’ll have a look at them today and everyone’s reporting all well except for [Yves Bissouma]. He’s got a bit of an issue, but we’ll have a look at him over the next couple of days and see how it settles.
“[Richarlison]’s still got a bit of work to do, alongside Will Lankshear who is still in rehab.”
Like I said — pretty mixed! Having Micky van de Ven back against a very good, if injury-ridden, Arsenal team will be a huge boost, but it’s not exactly a glowing endorsement of Solanke’s readiness. It sounds like he’s on the mend and will likely feature, but Ange’s comments are qualified and it doesn’t sound like a sure thing.
Fans feared Bissouma’s fitness after he was subbed early from a Mali match while on international duty this week, and those fears appear to be realized. Ange’s comments make it sound like it will be a match-time decision as to whether he will feature, and I’d be surprised if he goes the full 90 minutes, or even starts. And Spurs continue to be light at striker, with BIG WILLY LANKS still recovering from a hamstring injury and Richarlison just basically broken at this point.
The good news is that Arsenal is even worse off than we are. Declan Rice will miss the match after picking up a red card in the Gooners’ last match. Martin Ødegaard and new signings Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino are also likely to miss the match with recent injuries. Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney are both on the long-term injury list, though Arsenal could welcome Gabriel Jesus back to the squad by Sunday.
The North London Derby is always a match where you ignore things like injury crises and winning streaks, because both teams always play hard against each other and anything can happen. Spurs will be hoping that they can turn what has been an start of the season full of good play but absent consistent results into a positive performance at home against their arch-rivals.