No team has been as unlucky with injuries as Tottenham Hotspur, and it seems like every week, there is a new injury problem that pops up. Spurs already entered the season without star attackers Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison, and those guys are still out with no real return date in sight.
Meanwhile, striker Dominic Solanke has been a long term absence, too, and Mohammed Kudus recently suffered an injury that will cost him at least a couple of months. Destiny Udogie is always in and out of the lineup with injuries and remains out.
In the last game, center midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur suffered a potential multi game injury, and while he is no longer an important starter to Spurs, it is still a tough blow to the team's depth at a position that is not exactly an area of strength.
Tottenham get bit again
To that end, another veteran player at a weak position has just gone down in Spurs most recent game, too. Richarlison was seen pulling up with a hamstring injury, and Thomas Frank confirmed after the game, via BBC Sport, that it is indeed a hamstring injury for the Brazilian striker.
Although Richarlison is not really having a great season and has been inconsistent all around, he is Spurs leading goal scorer and one of their only two healthy strikers alongside Randal Kolo Muani - a talented loan signing who is subtly showing signs of mentally checking out of Spurs.
Tottenham can ill afford all these injuries, and although being out of the FA Cup after this loss to Aston Villa means fewer games for Spurs, the Premier League fixture set, along with all the meaningless international matches, means the congested schedule is conducive to more and more injuries, particularly to overworked veteran players.
Richarlison has been worked hard by Thomas Frank, who loves him despite his issues. And now with Richy, Frank is going to have to increasingly turn to his other players, such as Kolo Muani and Mathys Tel. The latter may be the real silver lining for Spurs, since Tel is contemplating leaving in order to get more minutes ahead of the World Cup for France.
Despite those silver linings, losing a player is never good, and Tottenham are going to have more depth problems to worry about with Richy out of the equation. Next up, Tottenham will battle local rivals West Ham in the Premier League, followed by Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.