Igor Tudor has admitted that Tottenham will need to be creative in dealing with their ongoing injury crisis ahead of Sunday’s crucial Premier League clash against Liverpool.
Spurs head to Anfield to face the Premier League champions, but have been rocked by several injury problems and could have up to 13 first-team players out for the clash.
Captain Cristian Romero and midfielder Joao Palhinha will miss the clash due to concussion protocols, while Micky van de Ven is also ruled out with suspension, following his red card in the 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace in their last league game.
Tudor remains winless in his four matches so far at the club and is already under pressure despite only being appointed on interim basis after the departure of Thomas Frank.
“I don’t believe in that stuff. But there’s too much. Every game, two or three players are out”, Tudor lamented.
“Sometimes it is not easy to understand the reasons. Sometimes you understand the problems and I recognise them, but it’s been difficult.
“It is what it is and we need to accept that. We need to see it as a challenge and not cry.”
Tottenham also have a Champions League Round of 16 second leg in midweek, as they hope to overturn a three-goal deficit after a 5-2 defeat from the first leg.
The Europa League champions must defeat the Reds to avoid dropping into the relegation zone, depending on other results in the league.
“When you have 10 players every game, 12 maximum or maybe even 13 and you don’t have a central defender every game and Archie [Gray] is playing in four different positions. When you don’t have full-backs or four defenders, tell me, how can you manage this situation?”, Tudor added.
“Every time you have to invent and also, what is more interesting is in two training sessions you have to teach them positions that they have never played before.
“You need to be very, very good to teach all these things in one or two training sessions”, the Croatian concluded.
Tottenham will be hoping for a win when they play the Premier League champions this weekend to end their poor run of form.
Anything but a victory could see them drop into the relegation zone and also spell the end for Tudor’s reign at the club.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
