latest Spurs updates from the treatment room after beating Lion City Sailors 5-1 in Singapore with Ange Postecoglou having some midfield issues to deal with.
Tottenham made the most of getting back on the pitch when they put five past Lion City Sailors. After having their game with Leicester called off due to a waterlogged pitch and this fixture replacing a cancelled match with Roma, Ange Postecoglou’s side got down to business in Singapore.
Goals from Harry Kane, Giovani Lo Celso and a hat-trick from Richarlison banished any fears of another upset when Shawal Anuar had put Lion City Sailors ahead. Spurs ended the game having peppered their opponents’ goal, registering 37 shots and another 22 players used.
Making up for lost time, Postecoglou rotated his team heavily throughout having said before the game: “I think tomorrow I won’t use everyone. With us missing a game, this was the game where I was going to give game time to just about everyone in the squad but with us missing a game I’ll probably still focus on the guys who need a game.”
He also added: “So I’ll probably do two two elevens again, which means some will miss out but they’ll do some work and then we’ve got a full week of training after that.”
Spurs took a 31-man squad on pre-season but only named 24 for the game with Lion City Sailors. Harvey White and Alfie Devine were the only two players not used. The group available to Postecoglou is near fully fit, though Dane Scarlett missed the game with injury and was confirmed as an absentee prior to the fixture.
“Everyone’s good – Dane Scarlett is the one who has been struggling with a bit of injury. But he sort of trained this morning, he probably won’t be available tomorrow,” the head coach said.
“Tanguy [Ndombele] was the other one who’s been a slow burner but now he’s back training so he’s available as well. So yeah in terms of health wise, I think everyone’s fit.” Ndombele played no part however and his midfield partner Yves Bissouma looked to struggle during the warm down at the end of the first half after limping off.
“Yeah [he’s okay], I think so. He did all the runs at the end. I think he was exhausted, mate. I haven’t picked up anything from the medics. It’s fair to say they’ll be exhausted after what we’ve done in the last three days but I don’t think there’s any issues.”
Bissouma fell to the floor in discomfort at the change of the entire XI come half-time, getting treatment from the medical staff. Young ‘keeper Alfie Whiteman was also absent after suffering a bad injury in training ahead of the game. He was stretchered off the pitch from the open session with suggestions of a knee injury that appears to be serious.
The large bulk of the current group with Postecoglou are fit but the Australian is working with a reduced squad overall. Rodrigo Bentancur, Fraser Forster, Bryan Gil, Troy Parrott and Ryan Sessegnon all remained at Hotspur Way in order to recover from their respective injuries.
Bentancur has been out for most of 2023 with a serious knee problem. Sessegnon was close to being taken on the pre-season tour but once more found an issue with his hamstring, He isn’t expected to be in contention until the season has started, closer to September.
Forster is out with a back strain, the club’s site confirmed last month, while Gil is also out with a back injury. Troy Parrott has a groin strain keeping him out as a loan for the 21-year-old is also explored. Hugo Lloris was left behind in England as he seeks a new club given his contract ends in 2024 and isn’t set to be part of the plans next season.
Next up for Spurs is Shakhtar Donetsk on Sunday before Barcelona end their pre-season preparations.
The full squad is as follows with injury doubts in bold:
Goalkeepers: Guglielmo Vicario, Alfie Whiteman, Brandon Austin, Josh Keeley
Defenders: Destiny Udogie, Sergio Reguilon, Davinson Sanchez, Emerson Royal, Joe Rodon, Eric Dier, Cristian Romero, Pedro Porro, Djed Spence, Japhet Tanganga, Ben Davies
Midfielders: James Maddison, Oliver Skipp, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Ivan Perisic, Giovani Lo Celso, Tanguy Ndombele, Pape Matar Sarr, Yves Bissouma, Alfie Devine, Harvey White
Forwards: Harry Kane, Son Heung-Min, Richarlison, Dejan Kulusevski, Manor Solomon, Dane Scarlett
