Swedish forward Dejan Kulusevski had to be substituted just 19 minutes into the game, raising concerns about his availability for the upcoming Europa League final. This incident occurred during Tottenham's disappointing 2-0 defeat against Crystal Palace on Sunday. Eberechi Eze, playing for the FA Cup finalists, scored twice at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, leaving Postecoglou's side in a precarious position at 17th place in the Premier League.
Despite their domestic struggles and a record-breaking 20th league loss this season - marking Tottenham's worst-ever tally of defeats in the Premier League era - there is still hope. The team managed to secure a spot in the Europa League final with Manchester United on May 21 after sealing an impressive 5-1 aggregate victory over Bodo/Glimt last Thursday.
However, their poor form continued as they slipped further down in their domestic league standings. This dismal performance has only added to manager Ange Postecoglou’s mounting problems.
Positive update on Kulusevski
In light of these challenges, Postecoglou provided some much-needed positive news regarding injured forward Dejan Kulusevski. Despite losing Lucas Bergvall and James Maddison to season-ending injuries last week, he expressed confidence that Kulusevski would recover in time for the crucial Europa League final.
Ange Postecoglou, Totttenham manager, said:
"Medical team are not too concerned with him, more of a knock than anything else, so we're hoping he should be OK,"
"It's not helpful when you lose another player, it's the fine line we're trying to navigate at the moment. That aside, it was a disappointing performance and nowhere near the level it should be. Guys had an opportunity today to put their name forward and put some pressure on the guys who played the other night. Fair to say there wasn't any compelling evidence of that.
"That's what I'm trying to push with these guys, that sometimes in football you've just got to take the opportunities there before you. They're never going to be perfect. We made eight changes but there is an opportunity there and you've just got to take it when presented to you and I'm disappointed more didn't step forward today."
Postecoglou made strategic decisions during Sunday’s match against Crystal Palace by not bringing on Brennan Johnson, Richarlison and Dominic Solanke after their exhausting semi-final second leg at Bodo/Glimt. He also kept Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven benched throughout this game – effectively conceding victory to Crystal Palace in a bid to keep his key players fresh for the upcoming final in Bilbao.
While Tottenham's domestic form leaves much to be desired, their Europa League performance offers a glimmer of hope. With Postecoglou's strategic player management and optimism about Kulusevski's recovery, fans can look forward to an exciting and competitive final against Manchester United on May 21.
