9 players missing
Tottenham Hotspur have been unlucky with injuries this season, although we haven't helped ourselves by putting our season at risk and playing Harry Kane against Millwall. The risks were simply too great and we wait to see what price we will have to pay for our folly.
We have had a string of injuries, although the season started with Mousa Dembele being suspended for gouging Diego Costa's face in the game against Chelsea last season where we simply lost our heads. It was the same type of gouge that Fernando Torres, then of Chelsea, did to Jan Vertonghen, but go away with it sctt-free despite being picked up clearly by the TV cameras. One rule for one, one rule for another.
Players we have missed for periods this season include Dele Alli, Hugo Lloris, Harry Kane, Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, Danny Rose, Ben Davies and long-term absentee Erik Lamela. With Mousa Dembele that is nine absentees we have had to cope with.
To be sitting second in the Premier League and in the semi-finals of the FA Cup is no mean feat, but have we blown our chances of a trophy with the latest avoidable Kane injury?
Son Heung-min adjusted well to playing as a striker and scored goals there before carrying an injury saw a downturn in his performances. He scored a hat-trick against Millwall, two of which were of the highest quality. Clearly Pochettino prefers Son to Janssen as a striker and the former players in the studio remark upon the quality of his off the ball running to create chances.
Both he and Dele Alli make diagonal runs between the opposing defensive players, runs that are hard to track if the right ball is played. We'll be looking for more of that in the weeks ahead.
Strikers confidence can turn on one goal, usually though they have been a success at the level they are playing at before though. It didn't do much for Roberto Soldado unfortunately and how scoring a goal from open play will affect Vincent Janssen is anyone's guess. If Kane is out he will have to be used as a substitute to give Alli and Son a rest and avoid any further injuries when we have games in the bag.
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