Tottenham’s Injury Woes on the Mend as They Gear Up for a Tough Challenge Against Manchester City

Tottenham Hotspur’s manager, Ange Postecoglou, addressed the media in his latest press briefing as he gears up for a clash with Manchester City on Wednesday.

Fresh from victories over Manchester United and Ipswich Town, Spurs are set to face a City team that has recently suffered defeats to Real Madrid and Liverpool.

In their previous encounter, Tottenham triumphed with a 4-0 scoreline, and Postecoglou is optimistic about replicating that performance now that several of his key players have returned from injury.

The Spurs boss began by providing an update on his squad, confirming that there were no new injuries stemming from the win against Ipswich.

“Everyone who featured (against Ipswich at the weekend) came through unscathed, and we will have a similar squad for tomorrow’s game,” he stated.

However, Postecoglou mentioned that Ben Davies will not be available, while Richarlison, Cristian Romero, Dominic Solanke, and Micky van de Ven are “all progressing well,” with anticipated returns in the “next seven to ten days.”

He went on to commend Manchester City and their manager Pep Guardiola, despite the latter’s squad facing challenges this season that have seen them exit multiple competitions, including the Champions League.

“We always look forward to the challenge. Manchester City is an exceptional football club with a fantastic manager, still boasting incredible players who consistently present a tough challenge to any opponent,” he remarked.

“We’ve enjoyed our encounters with them, whether from this season or last. They will aim to win and play an expansive game, and we will strive to do the same. It’s going to be a solid test for us.”

Next on the agenda was Rodrigo Bentancur, with Postecoglou noting that a potential contract extension may be forthcoming due to the midfielder’s impressive performances.

“Rodri has been brilliant. His contract situation is managed by others. Recently, he’s really been finding his feet again,” he said.

“He just needs consistent match time to fully regain his form. He is a positive presence within the group and brings valuable experience. From our perspective, in this critical period, he’ll be extremely important.”

Lastly, he touched on the young talent Dane Scarlett, who, despite being just 20 years old, provided an assist against Ipswich, setting up Dejan Kulusevski for the game’s final goal.

“Yes, he’s been working hard. As you mentioned, Dane has faced a couple of challenging loans, which are part of his development. We also discussed Djed, who endured three tough loan spells, so perseverance is key—he needs to keep pushing and await his chance,” Postecoglou explained.

“He has performed well for us. I mentioned when he returned that he wasn’t in peak physical condition, but he’s been working hard on that, and I hope he gets more chances.

“As a side note, I have to say that the assist is one of the most overrated statistics in football. Honestly, it could bounce off your backside and fall to someone on the halfway line who then scores, and it counts as an assist. So it doesn’t overly impress me, but Dane’s assist at the weekend was genuinely a good one.”