The December grind of continual match fixtures continues this week for Tottenham Hotspur as they host Manchester United on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the League Cup. In what will feel like a breath of fresh air to supporters, Ange Postcoglou revealed some good news on the injury front in his press conference ahead of the match.
Speaking to the assembled media, Big Ange confirmed that both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven will not feature against United, and Destiny Udogie, who was withdrawn at the weekend for a slight knock, is questionable. And we have an update on Mikey Moore!
“I guess from the other night, Destiny [Udogie] no injury but he is still a bit sore from the game. We are not ruling him out but we will see how he is with the turn around. [Yves Bissouma] is available after being suspended on the weekend and I think everyone else is as is.
“Van de Ven and Romero are still chugging along. I think both will be in the new year. Not as a significant injury as last time with Micky but obviously having a setback the medical team is going to make sure he is right to go. So both of them in the new year at some point.
“Mikey [Moore] is back in training so hopefully not too far away. The next cabs off the rank are Mikey and Ben Davies potentially next week and then Richarlison maybe first week of the new year.”
Great news, but it’s not going to help Postecoglou or Spurs for Thursday’s Cup quarterfinal. From the above, unless Ange deems Destiny Udogie ready to go, I think we can probably expect another back line of Pedro Porro, Archie Gray, Radu Dragusin, and Djed Spence. All did capably well this past weekend against Southampton (with the possible exception of Porro, but he was clearly conserving energy in that match), and I would guess Alfie Dorrington will be on the bench as a break glass in case of emergency substitution.
Postecoglou also gave positive feedback on the recent play by Gray and Spence.
“[Archie] hasn’t missed a beat, and it’s brilliant to watch. The rest of the lads have obviously helped him. Radu is the experienced one next to him at 22, and Destiny, 22, either side of him. That’s where we’re at in terms of the squad and all the young boys dipping in, I think’s super exciting through a tough period for the squad where we are at from the squad perspective.
“The young guys are shouldering a big part of the load. That’s a brilliant thing for us because hopefully we get to smoother waters and we are going to be so much better equipped for what’s ahead. Archie has done really well, his defending has been really solid, obviously he’s got quality on the ball but the way he’s handled what we are asking him to do a really big job not just for a one-off game. He’s handled it brilliantly.
“Djed was outstanding the other night. I said, credit to the coaches who have put the work into him. It wasn’t just about him filling a spot, he actually made an impact. Good on the night and he obviously got tired in the second half, understandably so. Again, great for us to have an established player come in, It felt really good he could contribute.”
In the midfield, however, Ange actually has options. While Rodrigo Bentancur is unavailable due to his FA suspension, Yves Bissouma is back, Pape Sarr will also be an option, and Lucas Bergvall impressed in his first Premier League start on Saturday. Postecoglou didn’t say what he planned on doing, but did hint that Bergvall could be in contention, at least off the bench.
“It’s good to have an option there. Lucas did fantastically well the other night and he has done in the last two or three games he has played for us as he’s really made an impact, but the other night I thought he was really good. In the first half he really showed maturity playing that role, discipline and real quality as well. It’s good to have that option.
“Having Biss available is great as well. I’ll make a decision tomorrow, but at the same time that was Lucas’ first start for quite a while and he did tire noticeably in the second half so we’ll have to see how he’s recovered from the game.”
Earlier in the week the club began briefing reporters that the Spurs hierarchy are fully behind Postecoglou despite the team’s recent struggles, and that the plans are to not only keep him, but back him fully in the future. It’s been a rough period with the injuries and a spate of tough matches all coming in short succession, but Ange was asked about some of the positives from this season, and true to form he gave a nuanced and impressive answer.
“As I said last week I haven’t lost any resolve or optimism about what we’re building because I see plenty of growth in this group. I guess people will look at our league position and our league form and within that context are saying there isn’t things developing here, but if you strip it away and look at the challenges we’ve had this year with the injury situation, we’re probably one result away from people saying we’re going OK in the league as well.
“I think with all these things, my view is stay calm, stay focused and I see plenty of growth. Even Pape Sarr, mate. He is still a young man and is growing all the time and becoming a hell of a footballer. I just get so excited by all that. We’re going to hit some smoother waters at some point. I believe that in terms of where the squad is at. These kind of players who are carrying us through this tough period, you talk about mentality – they’ve got through that, not only got through it but helped the club through it and at such a young age, anything they face after that, they’re going to crash through. For me, I certainly feel there is some real growth that has happened and is happening at the moment.”
Tottenham host Manchester United in the League Cup quarterfinals this Thursday under the lights at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Kick-off time is 3 pm ET / 8 pm UK. The match is televised on Sky Sports, and is streamed on Paramount+ in the USA.
