Tottenham Hotspur fans are waiting with bated breath for news on the health of several Spurs players ahead of Sunday’s first north London derby of the season. Ange Postecoglou has provided some answers, and the responses are rather mixed.
In an update posted on the club’s website, Postecoglou gave a positive update on Micky van de Ven and Dominic Solanke, but there are big questions about Yves Bissouma and confirmation that Richarlison and Will Lankshear are still undergoing rehab.
“It’s pretty positive (news). Micky (van de Ven) is fine, he’s been training all through the international break and it’s been good for him to stay with us to get him back up and ready.
“(Dominic Solanke) has also improved and trained the second half of this week. We still have two days with the boys so we hope they get through training well and are available.
“We had the last of the guys here last night, so we’ll look at them today. Everyone reports they’re fine except (Yves Bissouma). He’s got a little problem, but we’ll look at him over the next few days and see how it goes.
“(Richarlison) still has some work to do, along with Will Lankshear, who is still in rehab.”
As I said – pretty mixed! Having Micky van de Ven back against a very good, if injury-plagued Arsenal side will be a huge boost, but it’s not exactly glowing praise for Solanke’s readiness. It sounds like he’s on the mend and will probably play, but Ange’s comments are qualified and it doesn’t sound like a sure thing.
Fans feared for Bissouma’s fitness after he was substituted early from a Mali match on international duty this week and those fears appear to be coming true. Ange’s comments make it sound like he will only play during the game and I would be surprised if he lasts the full 90 minutes or even starts. And Spurs continue to be short of a striker with BIG WILLY LANKS still recovering from a hamstring injury and Richarlison practically broken at this point.
The good news is that Arsenal are in an even worse situation than us. Declan Rice will miss the game after picking up a red card in the Gooners’ last game. Martin Ødegaard and new signings Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino are also likely to miss the game due to their recent injuries. Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney are both on the long-term injury list, however Arsenal could welcome Gabriel Jesus back into the squad by Sunday.
The North London derby is always a game where you ignore things like injury crises and winning streaks, as both teams always play hard against each other and anything can happen. Spurs will be hoping to convert their start to the season full of good games but lacking consistent results into a positive performance at home to their arch rivals.
