LONDON • Such was Mauricio Pochettino's confidence in Dele Alli adapting to a "false nine" role that Tottenham were not going to reinforce their front line, even after the ankle injury suffered by Harry Kane and Son Heung-min's absence due to the Asian Cup.
However, the Spurs manager's plans not to spend in the January transfer market were thrown into disarray on Tuesday night after scans confirmed his worst fears.
Alli suffered a hamstring injury during last Sunday's 2-1 Premier League win at Fulham and the club revealed he would now undergo rehabilitation and is expected to return to training in early March.
The midfielder, who is set to miss a host of key games including the the Champions League last-16 first leg against Borussia Dortmund and a league match at Chelsea, tweeted he was "gutted" with the diagnosis.
He said: "I will do everything in my power to return as quick as possible. Thank you for the messages."
The 22-year-old's six-week spell on the sidelines comes at the worst time for Spurs, with the club looking to defend their one-goal lead going into today's second leg of their League Cup semi-final with Chelsea.
They will travel to Stamford Bridge without Kane, who is out till March, Son and Alli, and Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson felt now was "a good time" to play Tottenham.
He told Sky: "If you could say before the game that you can pull out three players from that team, then it would be Kane, Alli and Son."
But Eric Dier insisted Spurs could not feel "sorry for ourselves" and it would not be an excuse if Pochettino's men fail in their attempt to lift their first piece of silverware since 2008.
Insisting the team were not "sulking about it", the midfielder said: "Every team gets injuries, we have to deal with it."
There was better news as they bid to reach their first final in four years while exacting a measure of revenge against the team that beat them in the 2015 League Cup final.
Moussa Sissoko and Victor Wanyama have returned to training along with Lucas Moura who, after a three-game absence, is expected to feature in Alli's absence.
There were also reports of unrest in their London rivals' dressing room.
Manager Maurizio Sarri publicly questioned his men's mental strength and revealed it was "extremely difficult" to motivate them in the wake of last Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Arsenal.
While Sky pundit Gary Neville said on his weekend podcast it was now "inevitable that Sarri would get the sack at some point", Marcos Alonso has backed his boss and challenged his teammates to prove they have what it takes to arrest their slide, starting with Spurs.
Amid suggestions that several players are unhappy with his tactics, including playing N'Golo Kante and Eden Hazard out of position while favouring Jorginho, Alonso claimed the Blues manager's criticism was justified.
The Spain defender said: "When you lose, you learn. We have to perform again (against Spurs)."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
CHELSEA V TOTTENHAM
Singtel TV Ch111 & StarHub Ch202, tomorrow, 3.45am
- 'Typical' English title race - City won the title last season with a Premier League record total of 100 points last season, but Guardiola sees that kind of dominance as an anomaly in English football. "I would say it's typical in England, this kind of situation," he said of this season's close fight.
Guardiola expecting twists and turns in title race
The latest Tweets from Liverpoolfc-blog (@LFC_Blog). Information and news from around the web about all things Liverpool #YNWA #lfc. UK
Liverpool 4 Manchester City 3: Visitors' unbeaten run finally
Neymar "cried for two days" after injuring his right foot for a second time in January, he told Brazilian television according to an excerpt of an interview broadcast on Tuesday. The 27-year-old Paris Saint-Germain star recognized that damaging the same metatarsal he hurt in February 2018
Ligue 1: Neymar cried for two days after his latest injury
AIRMARINE CUP. Malaysia 0. Singapore 1. The easy part was to promise entertaining, attacking football but Nazri Nasir walked the walk when he guided the Lions to a 1-0 win over Malaysia in the AirMarine Cup last night, in his debut as the caretaker national coach.
Malaysia 0-1 Singapore: Faris' late objective settles derby
Arsenal's Alexandre Lacazette is eligible to play in Thursday's Europa League last 16 second-leg clash against Rennes after his three-match ban was reduced to two games, UEFA said on Tuesday.
Arsenal's Lacazette free to face Rennes as UEFA cuts ban
What the Spurs need to do to have a successful offseason. New I do believe they need to bet on internal development, so I'm certainly hoping he gets a chance to crack the rotation. Other
Lucas Moura identifies the most important thing Spurs must do
Feb 11, 2019 · Rafael Benítez fumes after Wolves deny Newcastle with stoppage-time equaliser Rafael Benítez must hate it when the fourth official sign up and get our daily football email. Wolves, with
Football: Rafael Benítez fumes as Wolves deny Newcastle with
Football; Formula 1; Willian gem sinks Newcastle as Chelsea cement fourth place. Willian cut back inside two Newcastle defenders on the left side of the area before curling a masterful
Football: Willian gem sinks Newcastle as Chelsea cement
Klopp cool on Mo's dry spell. Mohamed Salah's success last season means he has attracted more attention from opponents in the current campaign, often being double-marked. PHOTO: AFP.
Klopp cool on Mo's dry spell - theworldnews.net
MADRID (AFP) - A Spanish court on Wednesday (April 24) acquitted former Barcelona club president Sandro Rosell, who spent nearly two years in pre-trial custody, of money laundering.. Read more at
Spain court acquits former Barcelona president of money
Borussia Dortmund winger Christian Pulisic has been linked with a January move to Chelsea but his club are determined to keep hold of him. Pulisic Not for Sale in January, Says Dortmund Chief
Manchester United sacked Jose Mourinho as manager on Tuesday morning and are expected to appoint Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as caretaker boss for the remainder of the season. The Premier League giants
Manchester United set to appoint Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as
SINGAPORE, 9 MAY 2019 - Philippe Aw's national Under-15 team will take on DPR Korea, Hong Kong and Guam in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-16 Championship 2020 qualifiers later this year. Singapore will host all the matches in Group
The Gays and Tennis - Part 13 - the Data Lounge
0 Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen