If you are a supporter of Tottenham you could well claim that despite your club being 3rd in the league, playing some wonderful football and getting great results it has felt like one thing after another- as they say in these parts of London, if it doesn’t rain it pours.
The news that Harry Kane, Son and Dele Alli will be out for extended periods at such a critical time may just be the body blow that ends Tottenham’s season, and that would be an incredibly sad story given how strong the club have been this season.
With Son everyone knew that the popular forward would be unavailable this month given that the Asian Cup has kicked off. Son’s national side South Korea were almost knocked out yesterday when they needed extra time to beat Bahrain. Now they are in the quarter finals and will be one of the favourites to go all the way to the final which takes place on February 1st. If all goes well Son could return to the club for the home game against Leicester a week later.
Son has been very good this season and has been an integral part of the team and his goals will be missed. Talking of goals even though the news was announced over a week ago, it is still devastating to think that Harry Kane could be out until March. Here is a player that has scored 160 goals for Tottenham and already 20 this season in all competitions. But with his ligament ankle injury he is set to miss crucial Premier League games, the Champions League first leg and if Tottenham make it to the Carabao Cup final he could miss that. He isn’t officially due back until the middle of March.
Make no mistake about it, Tottenham will miss their key forward and influential England international.
When Tottenham played Fulham away from home last weekend they were without Kane and Son. And so manager Mauricio Pochettino brought Dele Alli more forward. The result was that the club were rewarded and then stung. Alli scored, Tottenham won 2-1 in a very close game and then Alli was reported injured- he will miss the next 6 weeks in more crushing news for the club.
One has to wonder how Tottenham will be able to cope with such depletions? And one also has to wonder if not buying any players in the summer is now coming back to haunt the club? Surely they will dip into the transfer market even if only for a loan deal. One player that has been suggested is West Ham’s Andy Carroll which would feel like a surprise given how many times the player has been injured throughout his career.
Tottenham face potentially their biggest game of the season so far on Thursday when they visit Chelsea in the 2nd leg of the Carabao Cup semi final. Spurs take a 1-0 lead to Stamford Bridge and with all of their recent injuries are not the bookmakers favourites to advance to the final.
Pochettino will have to find a way how to play without so much striking talent on the field. Some solutions may be to advance Christian Eriksen and play Eric Lamela wide. And there might be an opportunity for youngster Oliver Skipp who is being highly touted as Spurs next best player.
This season has been incredibly tough for Tottenham, with stadium delays, no new players and Pochettino being linked to Manchester United. If any club are going to overcome the problems being hurled at them it seems that Tottenham are well prepared.
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