Tottenham manager, Ange Postecoglou, has subtly criticized Arsenal and other Premier League rivals for attributing poor performance to injuries. This comes amidst a wave of complaints from several teams about the impact of injuries on their results this season. Arsenal and Manchester City have been notable for blaming some of their less impressive performances this term on injuries to key players. Martin Odegaard and Rodri are among those who have been sidelined due to injury, causing a significant impact on both teams' performance.
Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur is also grappling with its own injury crisis. Centre-back duo Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven were notably absent from Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Fulham due to injuries.
Despite these challenges, Ben Davies and Radu Dragusin started for the third time in a week. Interestingly, unlike his counterparts at Arsenal and Manchester City, Postecoglou is refusing to use injuries as an excuse for any perceived underperformance.
Tottenham boss, Ange Postecoglou, said:
‘I’ve seen so much violin-playing over [other teams having] one centre-back out, but we’re just supposed to get on with it, Benny and Radu have been outstanding throughout this spell.
‘I mean there aren’t too many teams in the league who have both their centre-backs out. The beauty of it is these boys are, and I love that. I love the characters they’re showing. I love the fact that they’re not seeking excuses or wanting me to make allowances for it. But at some point, I need to also acknowledge the massive effort that all these guys are putting in. Radu and Ben were outstanding again.’
Spurs' standings amidst injury crisis
Currently sitting seventh in the Premier League table after their opening 13 games of the season, Spurs find themselves five points behind north London rivals Arsenal who currently sit in second place.
This position puts them under pressure ahead of next month's north London derby where they will face off against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on January 15th.
The last encounter between these two sides saw Arsenal beat Spurs 1-0 away from home when they met last September - Gabriel Magalhães scoring the only goal of that match.
The North London Derby
With tensions high ahead of next month's derby match between these two fierce rivals, it remains to be seen how each team will fare given their current circumstances. Will Postecoglou's refusal to use injuries as an excuse pay off, or will Arsenal continue their winning streak against Spurs?
Regardless of the outcome, one thing is certain: the Premier League continues to be a thrilling spectacle for sports fans and sports betting enthusiasts alike. As teams navigate through injury crises and other challenges, it's clear that every match counts in this fiercely competitive league.
