- Ange Postecoglou will stick to ‘crazy’ tactics for the match against Wolves
- Tottenham suffered their first league defeat of the season against Chelsea
- What is the WORST hat-trick in the Premier League? – Find out It all comes to the surface
Tottenham have been hit with a huge double blow, with star men James Maddison and Micky van de Ven ruled out until January.
The pair both limped off in the first half of Spurs’ 4-1 home defeat to Chelsea on Monday – England midfielder Maddison with a kick to the ankle and on a £43 million summer contract, Van de Ven had pulled his hamstring.
They add to the list of long-term absences, which also includes Richarlison, after the Brazilian forward underwent pelvic surgery. Maddison was named in the England squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia on Thursday, but has withdrawn.
“Micky with the hamstring injury we knew it was quite serious, probably a few months for him, looking into the new year,” said Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou.
‘Madders is much worse than we thought. The next day wasn’t great – again, probably into the new year for him.’
Tottenham will be without Micky Van de Ven and James Maddison until the new year after both suffered injuries in Monday’s defeat to Chelsea
Ange Postecoglou has admitted Maddison’s ankle injury is ‘a lot worse’ than Spurs had initially hoped
Richarlison is also on the injured list after undergoing surgery on a pelvic injury this week
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Spurs can return to the top of the Premier League with a win over Wolves on Saturday afternoon, but travel to Molineux without their three running backs plus the suspended Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie.
Ben Davies is back from injury at left back, but midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg may have to step in as a makeshift centre-back now that Romero and Van de Ven are out.
However, Postecoglou insisted that even after this week of hell, the club has faced worse this season, having lost Harry Kane to Bayern Munich in August.
Asked how Spurs would react to their first big test of the season, he replied: ‘The first test? After losing the best player ever in this competition the day before the start of the season? Nah, piece of cake.
“Mate, there are tests all the time. Throughout my career, I’ve found that as a manager there are only two ways: under fire, or it’s coming.
“It’s a bit disrespectful to this group of players to say everything went as planned, because it didn’t.”
Postecoglou was named Premier League manager of the month for October on Friday, completing a hat-trick of trophies in his first three months in England this season.
The Australian, 58, set an astonishingly high line as he was reduced to nine men by Romero and Udogie’s red cards against Chelsea, which the Blues opened three times late for Nicolas Jackson to score a hat-trick and beat Spurs condemned to their first league defeat in the competition. The season. But Postecoglou has no regrets about his tactics and promised more ‘madness’.
Postecoglou has said his ‘crazy’ tactics helped him ‘go from Australia to the Premier League’
“I’m not trying to lose games on purpose, believe me,” he said.
‘I am very focused on winning. I understand it’s unconventional, but you don’t get from Australia to the Premier League by being conventional. Trust me, this isn’t the first time people have questioned my madness.
“It got me where I am today and I continue to do it because I believe we can win that way, and not for any other reason.
“There were moments on Monday when it went to the extreme just because the players felt this was our best way to stay in the game and get the equalizer.”