Tottenham have new injury concerns and could be without a number of key players against Arsenal
Tottenham Hotspur’s squad looks set to be crippled by an injury crisis when the players return from international duty this week.
Head coach Thomas Frank will take charge of his first north London derby at the weekend when they visit Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. But he is set to be without a number of key players, with fitness concerns for as many as 13 of the Spurs squad.
The most recent injury fear is Pape Matar Sarr , who was substituted early in the second half during Senegal’s friendly with Brazil on Saturday.
“He got hit and then he didn’t feel well, so as a precaution he preferred to come off, but I don’t think it’s a big deal,” Senegal boss Pape Thiaw said after the game.
Spurs were handed another midfield injury concern earlier in the international break when Lucas Bergvall suffered a setback in his recovery after concussion.
In Tottenham’s last outing against Manchester United both Cristian Romero and Randal Kolo Muani picked up injuries, while Mohammed Kudus missed the 2-2 draw because of a problem picked up the week before.
Archie Gray, Ben Davies and Dominic Solanke were all sidelined before the international break too, while James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Radu Dragusin are all out with long-term injuries.
Yves Bissouma and Kota Takai also haven’t featured this season.
It means Frank’s squad will be stretched when the team travel to Arsenal for what promises to be an intriguing game. The Gunners are four points clear at the top of the Premier League, but Spurs have the best away record in the division so far this season.
Frank is still searching for the right balance in Tottenham’s attack, but felt they made “small steps” in last weekend's 2-2 draw with Manchester United.
“We are searching to find the right balance up front and I think when we look at the game back, I think there was positive bits going forward,” Frank reflected.
“We constantly work on the relationship and try to improve it with the players and try to find what is exactly the right blend, but I think there were small steps in the right direction.
(Against United) we wanted two strikers, Kolo Muani and Richarlison, for the crosses, which we thought was an area where we potentially could hurt United.
“I think it worked perfectly with the first one (by Brennan Johnson), where Richarlison got a big chance, so that could have been an unbelievable, fantastic game plan from us.
“So that was part of it and we need different personalities and types for different games.” Frank immediately improved Tottenham’s away form in the league, with impressive early wins over Manchester City, West Ham and Leeds, but arresting a longstanding poor record at home has been more tricky.
With Spurs travelling to the Emirates Stadium to face their fierce rivals next weekend, the manager will be hoping their away form continues.