Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou is dealing with an injury crisis, with a number of central defenders set to miss their next match against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
First-choice pairing Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are long-term absentees after both were injured in their first match back from injury this month against Chelsea and have missed Spurs' last four matches in all competitions.
Ben Davies has suffered a setback and is out for another couple of weeks, while Radu Dragusin was forced off in the loss at Nottingham Forest.
"It's a bit early to tell, he tweaked his ankle and felt like he couldn't continue, so we'll have to wait and see," Postecoglou said when asked about Dragusin in his pre-match press conference. "We'll wait until he gets in [for training] today."
When asked on his defensive options Postecoglou replied: "Not many. We are in a tough spot. We have been for a while.
"We have been kind of getting through it for quite a while now and keeping our fingers crossed we don't get any more issues.
"It is the nature of football and the fixture scheduling we have had, which means we have always been on a fine line of trying to get through. It is another test for us, but it is what it is. Whatever we need to deal with, we will deal with and be ready for Sunday."
See: Latest Premier League injuries
Who could Spurs play at centre-back?
Spurs' 18-year-old versatile midfielder Archie Gray has been filling in at centre-back, starting the past five matches across all competitions there.
Dragusin has been partnering Gray but if he is out, then 19-year-old Alfie Dorrington may make a full Premier League debut. He has made one appearance in the competition after being part of Spurs' Premier League 2-winning team of 2023/24.
Midfielder Yves Bissouma ended the match against Forest at centre-back and when Postecoglou was asked whether he would start there, he replied: "I don’t know. I mean Yves has never played there so I am not sure why I would put him there.
"I had to put him there last night because I had no one else, but we’ll see. We’ll see what happens."
Spurs' other absentees
Spurs will also be without full-back Djed Spence against Wolves as he is suspended for one match after receiving two yellow cards against Forest.
First-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is expected to be out until February while further up the field Wilson Odobert, Richarlison and Mikey Moore are also out.
How much is Spurs' injury crisis affecting them?
Spurs' lack of central defenders have been telling. Since losing Romero and Van de Ven against Chelsea, Postecoglou's side have conceded in all but one match that they've been unavailable in since.
And when Romero was taken off in the 15th minute against Chelsea, Spurs were leading 2-1 but proceeded to concede three more times and eventually lost 4-3.
Spurs' results since Romero and Van de Ven's injuries
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 08/12/2024 | Spurs 3-4 Chelsea | Premier League |
| 12/12/2024 | Rangers 1-1 Spurs | Europa League |
| 15/12/2024 | Southampton 0-5 Spurs | Premier League |
| 19/12/2024 | Spurs 4-3 Man Utd | EFL Cup |
| 22/12/2024 | Spurs 3-6 Liverpool | Premier League |
| 26/12/2024 | Forest 1-0 Spurs | Premier League |
Spurs' current points tally of 23 from their first 18 games is their worst in 16 seasons, while they are closer to the relegation zone (nine points away) than they are to the top four (10 points adrift).
And even if they win their next match against Wolves, this will be their lowest points tally at the midway point of a Premier League season since 2008/09, when they had won 20 points.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 |
Man City
MCI
|
18 | +4 | 28 |
| 8 |
Fulham
FUL
|
18 | +3 | 28 |
| 9 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
18 | -3 | 28 |
| 10 |
Brighton
BHA
|
18 | +1 | 26 |
| 11 |
Brentford
BRE
|
18 | 0 | 24 |
| 12 |
Spurs
TOT
|
18 | +13 | 23 |
| 13 |
West Ham
WHU
|
18 | -7 | 23 |
Will Spurs sign January reinforcements?
Postecoglou reiterated in his press conference on Friday that the club will look to strengthen their squad in the January transfer window, which opens on Wednesday.
"I still think you can be disciplined," he said. "It will depend where we’re at when the window opens and we're getting close to that now, so we've got a clearer picture of where we're at.
"It's not just about just bringing anybody in. There's certainly a need to reinforce if we can.
"Everyone knows January's not an easy time to do that. But the club's working hard behind the scenes to see what we can do to help players we've got at the moment who are giving everything in every game and dipping into every bit of energy they have to try to get us through.
"Not in years but I think in the context of where we're at at the moment I think it is an important one. I think if we add what we need to add and it fits the bill in what we're trying to do… Our league position is not great but it’s super tight and we’re not that far off. We're in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup and still in great position in Europe, and there's the FA Cup.
"There's still everything to play for for us this year to make it a season where we can have success. But we need some help, the players need some help more importantly, and the club is working really hard to try make that happen."
