Tottenham injury news as Ange Postecoglou brushes off Brennan Johnson concern in north London derby against Arsenal
Tottenham continue to play with confidence and freedom as a team as they took to the Emirates Stadium and faced Arsenal at home with a fearlessness not seen in the game for a long time. With a young squad and a happy manager, it looks like there’s plenty more to come.
Spurs now face added pressure as teams, supporters and pundits know how good they are. There are endless positive vibes ahead of welcoming Liverpool to north London next week for a second consecutive massive Test.
Led by Ange Postecoglou himself, a young backbone and a younger fan base, the club changed in four months. Now they will probably only get stronger. Spurs are currently without a main striker, turning to Son Heung-Min and still not at full strength.
They still have players on their bench who aren’t part of the long-term plans, and depth is an issue bubbling under the surface right now. It has yet to be fully tested or used, but once the fall and winter games start, they won’t stop. So far, it’s just not a problem. Spurs are almost at full strength with just a few injuries to deal with before they host Jurgen Klopp’s Reds. However, Brennan Johnson was concerned about his first start for the club since his deadline day move from Nottingham Forest.
“Not sure with Brennan, it seems he felt something, I think his hamstring,” Postecoglou said after the game. “We appreciate that. Madders [Maddison] and Sonny [Son] didn’t go into the game at 100% but they got through it, which suggests it’s nothing major.”
Given the strength of the starting line-up, there is no clear space or need for Lo Celso at the moment, but options are needed as the squad expands over the coming weeks. His Argentina teammate Alejo Veliz, meanwhile, is closing in on his first senior appearance.
Veliz is one of two natural center forwards in the squad and has worked hard to overcome the injury that brought him to the club. He was included in his first matchday squad on Sunday and could now be in the mix to make an impact, even if it is from the bench. He is one step ahead of South American Rodrigo Bentancur. The Uruguayan midfielder is making positive steps towards his return after nine months out with a knee injury, but is still training alone at Hotspur Way. He took the step to warm up on the turf with his teammates, but will still wait until November for his next real game opportunity.
As for Bryan Gil and Ryan Sessegnon – both of whom have also yet to appear this season – they are also not ready to return to the series. “Longer, in two or three weeks,” the head coach said last week. “Bryan Gil, Lo Celso, Bentancur, hopefully they will slowly start training over the next two weeks..
Ivan Perisic, the senior figure of the team, is unlikely to play again this season. The 34-year-old suffered a debilitating anterior cruciate ligament injury in training and now leaves a big void to fill. Perisic has come off the bench in every game leading up to Sunday’s derby, but now leaves plenty to do at the other end with his versatility.
