Everything is on the line for Tottenham Hotspur coming out of the November international break, because Spurs will be facing off against hated rivals Arsenal on Sunday in the North London Derby, which will be the first of Thomas Frank's career.
There is literally no bigger game in English football than this one in terms of emotions, and for Spurs, there's a lot on the line sporting wise, too, because they don't look like a team that is ready to stay in the Champions League next season.
Just last week, Tottenham were outplayed by Manchester United, and with Randal Kolo Muani and Lucas Bergvall joining the list of injured players, it may not get any easier for Frank and his men on Sunday vs. Arsenal.
Tottenham need him against Arsenal
Tottenham suffered another potential injury blow over the weekend of international football as well, as breakout midfielder Pape Matar Sarr went down with an injury in Senegal's 2-0 friendly loss to Brazil.
The good news is that it appears Sarr isn't actually injured or in any doubt for the upcoming North London Derby. That's based on what Sarr's Senegal national team manager Pape Thiaw told reporters after the game, via Football.London's Matt Maltby. It seems like Sarr just got knocked a bit and got taken out as a precaution from Senegal, which Spurs will much appreciate.
Sarr is going to be vital to Tottenham against Arsenal, and there are many Spurs fans who want Sarr to be the starter over Rodrigo Bentancur next to Joao Palhinha. The Senegalese international is a real box to box maven who works so hard for the team to break up play defensively and progress it offensively, and especially for Senegal when he actually gets the chance to do so, Sarr has shown that he can make an impact in the final third as well.
Tottenham are going to be up against one of the best midfields in world football, as the pivot of new Real Sociedad signing Martin Zubimendi and long time Premier League star Declan Rice looks like the elite of the elite in English football.
In order to have a prayer at stopping the two of them, Tottenham are going to need Sarr to be healthy and out there, so this is a huge relief to hear Thiaw tell reporters that Sarr's injury concerns are not so serious after all. Even if Frank doesn't start Sarr, he could still have a big say on the derby.