I was never a fan of Ange Postecoglou, but the news ahead of this afternoon’s game suggests I was too harsh on him regarding Tottenham injuries.
The centre-back positions are the hardest hit, with Drăgușin, Davies, Romero (recently back), and Takai all affected. This has forced tactical adjustments from the former Brentford gaffer. Centre back Radu Drăgușin has a knee injury and isn’t expected back until the end of this month.
Ben Davies, who operates as a centre back or left back, has a hamstring issue which will also sideline him until the end of November.
Newby Kota Takai is out with a foot injury, about which there is very little information. Destiny Udogie is hopefully available for today’s game, but will surely be subject to a late fitness test.
The same could be said of Cristian Romero, who picked up an abductor issue after the International break.
In midfield, Archie Gray is the latest to succumb to the physio room, with a calf muscle issue. James Maddison, as we all know, is on the mend from a torn ACL. Yves Bissouma is battling against an ankle ligament.
Dejan Kulusevski is on the mend after surgery on his patella, and Dominic Solanke is having post-procedure recovery.
And finally, Wilson Odobert will be subject to a late fitness test.
The form guide ahead of Tottenham versus Chelsea
The tale of this often fractious derby dates back to 1909. Across all competitions, Chelsea hold the upper hand in this storied fixture.
Chelsea’s dominance is particularly evident in recent decades, with 7 wins in the last 10 Premier League encounters alone.
In our last 5 Premier League games, we’ve won 2, lost 1 and drawn 2.
Chelsea, by contrast, has lost 3 and won 2.
Skipper Cristian Romero, full-back Destiny Udogie and forward Wilson Odobert are all available after injury, but as we can see, this is a small crumb of comfort, given just how many adjustments he is having to make.