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
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino says his team's first-half display at Liverpool was one from a side "not ready" to challenge for the title.
The latest odds on Spurs to win the Premier League title as
Your lender wants to ensure that there's always enough money in your account to pay the bills when they're due. Lenders usually require you to keep a little extra money in your escrow account at all times in case your taxes or premiums go up or you're late with a payment in the month a bill comes due.
Bank Error in Your Favor? But Can You Keep the Cash?
(Reuters) - ARSENAL 2 CRYSTAL PALACE 3. Crystal Palace put a dent in Arsenal's Champions League qualification hopes after strikers Christian Benteke and Wilfried Zaha made the most of defensive errors in a 3-2 win at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Palace punish sloppy Arsenal in 3-2 win at the Emirates
Roma midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo has revealed that he would like to stay at the club, despite interest from several European teams. The 19-year-old has enjoyed a breakout season at Roma, even if his recent form has not been great, and his form has seen the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus hovering.
Roma 2-1 Porto: Nicolo Zaniolo hits brace as Italian side
Football: Albirex Niigata still aim to win trophies despite squad overhaul SINGAPORE - Keiji Shigetomi knows the magnitude of his task in his first senior appointment as head coach of reigning Singapore Premier League (SPL) champions Albirex Niigata.
Football: Despite squad overhaul, Albirex Niigata's target
Pep Guardiola claimed he still doesn't believe Manchester City can win the quadruple after his side reached the FA Cup final with a 1-0 win over Brighton on Saturday. Guardiola's men were well below their best in the Wembley semi-final, but Gabriel Jesus's early goal got the job done.
Guardiola coy over quadruple bid after City reach FA Cup
Olivier Giroud has Michel Platini in his sights after moving third among France's all-time top scorers with his 35th international goal in the victory over Iceland. The World Cup holders made it two wins from two in their Euro 2020 qualifying group by cruising to a 4-0 success over Iceland at the Stade de France on Monday, Giroud scoring France's second goal 22 minutes from time.
Olivier Giroud overtakes Zidane in France's all time highest
Posted on 09/06/2019 by football is my Arsenal atletico madrid bayern munich Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga carabao cup champions league chelsea fc creations
Live Coverage: Saturday football incl. Chelsea, West Ham
Klopp pointed to City's financial power, backed by the club's Abu Dhabi owners, as a principal reason why they will not be easy to overhaul. However, unlike Manchester United, who ended the season as close to the relegation zone as they were to City, 32 points behind the champions in sixth, City have invested their money wisely.
LIVERPOOL, England (REUTERS) - Liverpool put aside talk of title-race jitters as they returned to the top of the Premier League with a confident 3-0 victory over Bournemouth at Anfield on Saturday
Liverpool back on top after win over Bournemouth - Football
Southampton secured their Premier League status for another year after a thrilling 3-3 home draw with Bournemouth on Saturday as Cardiff City slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Fulham. The draw put
Southampton stay up after thrilling 3-3 draw with Bournemouth
0 comments:
Post a Comment