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
Apr 26, 2019 · Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City have raised the standard of the Premier League just as Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus did in golf and Usain Bolt did in athletics. City won the title last
Pep Guardiola: Manchester Metropolis have raised Premier
(Reuters) - Aston Villa beat Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion 4-3 on penalties to reach the Championship playoff final on Tuesday after the tie ended 2-2 on aggregate. Tammy Abraham, on loan from Chelsea, scored the decisive spot kick to send Villa into a Wembley final against either Derby
Villa into playoff final after shootout win over West Brom
Jan 1 (Reuters)- Tottenham moved back into second place in the Premier League, six points behind leaders Liverpool, after cruising to a 3-0 win at lowly Cardiff City on Tuesday.
Spurs back up to second after easy win in Cardiff
dailynewschannels.com/2019/01/03/spurs-back-up-to-second-after-easy-win-in-cardiff.html
Spurs back up to second after easy win in Cardiff 03/01/2019 Tottenham surrendered the chance to establish themselves as Liverpool FC's closest rivals in the Premier League title race after having scored 11 times in two games.
Spurs back up to second after win at Cardiff | IOL
Handsome payouts for Mourinho - three sacks full said he aims to be back in full-time management and has no intention of retiring yet. "I want to coach. I belong to top-level football and
D.J. Swearinger says he was released by Redskins | All My
allmysportsnews.com/nfl/d-j-swearinger-says-he-was-released-by-redskins/
Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden had enough with D.J. Swearinger spouting off. The veteran safety told 106.7 The Fan that he's been cut by the Redskins, via the radio station's Twitter account.
REVEALED: The fortune Mourinho has earned from sacking
Newcastle United's 2-0 win over 10-man Huddersfield Town on Saturday eased their Premier League safety fears and sent the Terriers hurtling ever faster towards relegation to the Championship.
EPL: Newcastle plunge 10-man Huddersfield closer to the drop
"Kepa should be sacked, not Sarri": Pundits split on Chelsea
Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero will travel with the rest of their squad for their FA Cup semifinal against Brighton and Hove Albion having nearly recovered from a hamstring injury, manager Pep Guardiola said Friday.
Football: Man City's Aguero in frame to face Brighton in FA Cup
Cornellà de Llobregat: Espanyol's Wu Lei became the first Chinese player to score in La Liga on Saturday as his goal helped his team to a 3-1 win over Real Valladolid. Wu Lei, who was named the Chinese Super League's player of the year in November, joined Espanyol in January and was making his
Wu Lei: How Espanyol forward is helping La Liga's attempt to
7 Urgent Issues to Challenge in Your Youth Group! 40 thoughts on " 7 Urgent Issues to That's the kind of faith that will survive the youth's transition
Real Madrid 1-4 Ajax (3-5 agg): Dusan Tadic shines as reigning champions crash out in humiliation after visitors put on stunning display to claim historical win at Bernabeu and progress to the
Mauricio Pochettino has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur "need to believe" they can still win the Premier League title after his side responded to Leicester City's victory over Sunderland with a
What the Spurs need to do to have a successful offseason
0 Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen