With several players set to return to action between now and May, Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham team appears to only get better.
Despite missing a number of important players, Ange Postecoglou said he “couldn’t be prouder” of his Tottenham team after they put on an incredible performance against Manchester United on Sunday. In addition to missing out on international duty with Son Heung-min, Yves Bissouma, and Pape Matar Sarr, the head coach also had players like James Maddison, Ben Davies, and Giovani Lo Celso out due to injury, while Dejan Kulusevski was sidelined by illness.
The fact that Postecoglou could only name eight players on his bench at Old Trafford—two of whom were goalkeepers, Fraser Forster and Brandon Austin—was indicative of Tottenham’s lack of depth. Spurs put on an outstanding display in Manchester and, given their current situation, perhaps should have won the match rather than drew 2-2 after controlling play at a time when their results could have gone entirely the other way.
In his news conference after the game, Postecoglou stated, ”
I thought it was an outstanding performance considering the challenges we had in putting a team out there today.” It’s a challenging location to play, and United will undoubtedly be playing a major role in it. They would have gained some momentum if they had won today.
We fell behind by a goal really quickly, but this team has always performed incredibly well in the face of difficulty. I am incredibly proud of them.
“It was a fantastic effort, and I thought we had some really good football. We were unfortunate not to win the game, in my opinion. Notwithstanding this, the boys’ performance and effort were excellent.”
Tottenham acknowledged before the game that, given their strong position, they are very much in the running for the championship. Despite having played one more game, they are currently five points behind league leaders Liverpool. Due to their lack of European commitments, Tottenham has a clear schedule in the second half of the season compared to Liverpool, Man City, Aston Villa, and Arsenal above them. If they continue to improve under Postecoglou, Tottenham could potentially cause a major surprise in the remaining games of the season.
When their injured players begin to play again, Tottenham will only get better in their remaining 17 games—as well as they did at Old Trafford on Sunday night. Following Micky van de Ven’s eventual recovery from a hamstring injury at the beginning of November, Postecoglou was able to use his first-choice defence lineup for the first time since Sunday’s 2-2 tie.
Cristian Romero returned to the pitch ahead of schedule during the match, having just recovered from a hamstring strain. Speaking of players that return earlier than expected, Rodrigo Bentancur appeared to be sidelined until mid-February after suffering damage to his ankle ligament. However, he miraculously recovered and was starting for Tottenham in their 2023 season finale against Bournemouth.
Postecoglou said after the match that although Rusty was solid in his first two outings after making a comeback, the Uruguayan is “nowhere near the fitness levels or the level he wants to be” and will be a “fantastic asset” once he does. That is only encouraging for Tottenham’s future.
The weeks ahead will see Spurs’ midfield get even stronger as Maddison nears his ankle injury comeback, and the exact results of Senegal and Mali at the Africa Cup of Nations will determine when Sarr and Bissouma return. Son Heung-min and South Korea during the Asian Cup are comparable.
Assuming that their current Premier League form holds true, Tottenham should be in a strong position in terms of returning players by the middle of February, which will put them in a strong attacking position for the balance of the season. Following Tottenham’s 2-2 tie with Manchester United, Sky Sports analyst Gary Neville asserted that the Lilywhites might even place higher this season than Arsenal and Liverpool.
“If they keep their players fit, they are a certainty to finish in the top four and I think they can get to second and third,” Neville stated. “If they can make it through these next few weeks and get those players back, I really believe they can outperform Arsenal and Liverpool this season.”
“The FA Cup matchup between us and Manchester City might potentially result in a nice draw. Leave that behind and give the league your whole attention. They do, however, require a trophy.
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