LONDON • Such was Mauricio Pochettino's confidence in Dele Alli adapting to a "false nine" role that Tottenham were not going to reinforce their front line, even after the ankle injury suffered by Harry Kane and Son Heung-min's absence due to the Asian Cup.
However, the Spurs manager's plans not to spend in the January transfer market were thrown into disarray on Tuesday night after scans confirmed his worst fears.
Alli suffered a hamstring injury during last Sunday's 2-1 Premier League win at Fulham and the club revealed he would now undergo rehabilitation and is expected to return to training in early March.
The midfielder, who is set to miss a host of key games including the the Champions League last-16 first leg against Borussia Dortmund and a league match at Chelsea, tweeted he was "gutted" with the diagnosis.
He said: "I will do everything in my power to return as quick as possible. Thank you for the messages."
The 22-year-old's six-week spell on the sidelines comes at the worst time for Spurs, with the club looking to defend their one-goal lead going into today's second leg of their League Cup semi-final with Chelsea.
They will travel to Stamford Bridge without Kane, who is out till March, Son and Alli, and Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson felt now was "a good time" to play Tottenham.
He told Sky: "If you could say before the game that you can pull out three players from that team, then it would be Kane, Alli and Son."
But Eric Dier insisted Spurs could not feel "sorry for ourselves" and it would not be an excuse if Pochettino's men fail in their attempt to lift their first piece of silverware since 2008.
Insisting the team were not "sulking about it", the midfielder said: "Every team gets injuries, we have to deal with it."
There was better news as they bid to reach their first final in four years while exacting a measure of revenge against the team that beat them in the 2015 League Cup final.
Moussa Sissoko and Victor Wanyama have returned to training along with Lucas Moura who, after a three-game absence, is expected to feature in Alli's absence.
There were also reports of unrest in their London rivals' dressing room.
Manager Maurizio Sarri publicly questioned his men's mental strength and revealed it was "extremely difficult" to motivate them in the wake of last Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Arsenal.
While Sky pundit Gary Neville said on his weekend podcast it was now "inevitable that Sarri would get the sack at some point", Marcos Alonso has backed his boss and challenged his teammates to prove they have what it takes to arrest their slide, starting with Spurs.
Amid suggestions that several players are unhappy with his tactics, including playing N'Golo Kante and Eden Hazard out of position while favouring Jorginho, Alonso claimed the Blues manager's criticism was justified.
The Spain defender said: "When you lose, you learn. We have to perform again (against Spurs)."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
CHELSEA V TOTTENHAM
Singtel TV Ch111 & StarHub Ch202, tomorrow, 3.45am
BARCELONA, May 1 (Reuters) - Lionel Messi put Barcelona on the verge of the Champions League final by scoring twice in a 3-0 home win over Liverpool in Wednesday's semi-final first leg, taking his
Messi Torments Liverpool With 600th Barca Goal In 3-0 Win
Gianluigi Buffon will leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer after it was agreed to not renew the former Italy captain's contract, the French champions announced on Wednesday. World Cup winner
World Cup winner Gianluigi Buffon to leave PSG | Football
LONDON: Arsenal's Alexandre Lacazette scored twice in the first half and fellow striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang snatched a last-gasp third goal to secure a 3-1 win over Valencia in the first
Lacazette double helps Arsenal beat Valencia 3-1 - CNA
MANCHESTER, England (REUTERS) - Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero will travel with the rest of their squad for their FA Cup semi-final against Brighton and Hove Albion having nearly recovered
Man City's Aguero in frame to face Brighton in FA Cup
Newport keeper skips FA Cup celebrations after wife goes into labour be with his wife who had gone into labour during the match. Day, who had turned his phone off during the shock 2-0 fourth
Football: Newport County keeper Joe Day cuts short FA Cup
Antoine Griezmann fires Atletico Madrid level with Barcelona
Football: Spurs beaten for first time in new stadium
German champions Bayern Munich have not yet made an offer for Manchester City winger Leroy Sane despite their long-standing desire to sign him, club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said on Wednesday.
Football: Bayern have not yet tabled bid for Man City's Leroy
Air Force will bring back up to 1,000 retirees to plug gap in pilots, other rated officers combat systems officers and air battle managers could return to active duty under a major new
Arsenal v Chelsea Match Report, 19/01/2019 - goal.com
LONDON • Maurizio Sarri has described the alleged racist abuse of Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling by Chelsea fans as "disgusting" and condemned discrimination in any form in his first
Sarri condemns 'disgusting' Sterling abuse | FOX Sports Asia
Football: Jurgen Klopp fires up Liverpool with 'It's only pain' motto, Pep Guardiola urges City to 'be precise' 0:0 Comments Swimming: Toh Wei Soong finds inner strength to win first gold medal for Singapore at World Series 0:0 Comments Tennis: Halep beats Bencic to reach fourth Madrid Open final 0:0 Comments
Stefanos Tsitsipas stays perfect at ATP Next Gen Finals in
sportstoft.com/tennis/stefanos-tsitsipas-stays-perfect-at-atp-next-gen-finals-in-milan/
Stefanos Tsitsipas won the battle of the big guns as the Greek superstar proved too good for Frances Tiafoe to stay unbeaten at the ATP Next Gen Finals in Milan.
Champions League final: Jurgen Klopp reveals Pep Guardiola
0 Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen