Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed significant changes to their Champions League squad for the knockout stages, with three new players added to their European lineup. The latest additions are Mathys Tel, Radu Dragusin, and January signing Conor Gallagher.
The trio replaces Ben Davies, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Brennan Johnson. Davies and Bentancur have been sidelined due to potentially season-ending injuries while Johnson left the club in January for Crystal Palace in a £35 million deal.
Davies suffered a broken ankle during last month's 2-1 defeat by West Ham. On the other hand, Bentancur sustained a hamstring injury against Bournemouth. Both players underwent surgery for their respective issues and will be out of action for several months.
New opportunities arise
These unfortunate circumstances have opened up spaces in Tottenham's limited Champions League squad - opportunities that were initially denied to some players. Mathys Tel is perhaps the most high-profile addition among these replacements. The French forward made his loan move from Bayern Munich permanent last summer but was reportedly unhappy about being omitted from Frank's initial roster selection.
Tel was briefly included earlier this season when Dominic Solanke was injured but was quickly removed once Solanke returned to full fitness. Radu Dragusin’s inclusion comes at a critical time as Spurs grapple with an escalating injury crisis. Dragusin missed the start of this campaign due to an ACL injury but is now back on board after Cristian Romero fell ill during half-time in Spurs' 2-2 draw against Manchester City. Micky van de Ven also missed this match due to an injury.
Kevin Danso snapped a ligament in his toe during Spurs’ Champions League win at Frankfurt ahead of their clash with City and subsequently missed out on playing at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Tactical adjustments
The injury crisis forced Frank to make tactical adjustments, including fielding natural midfielder Joao Palhinha on the right side of his back three. With Romero at the heart of the trio and Dragusin to the left, Spurs had a new defensive setup.
However, Romero's withdrawal at half-time meant that Palhinha partnered with Dragusin in a back four as Spurs chased the game. Frank also had to deal with injuries to both his right-backs, Pedro Porro and Djed Spence. This situation led Archie Gray being shifted to right wing-back last weekend.
Despite having just 11 senior players available for City’s visit, Frank remains hopeful about welcoming back key names ahead of Tottenham's trip to Manchester United this Saturday. As Tottenham navigates through this challenging period, these squad changes could prove crucial in their Champions League campaign.
