11 goals, five assists, and a whole lot of influence on the pitch as well as in the dressing room. Tottenham are set to lose their captain Son Heung-Min for up to six weeks in January after the South Korean was called up for the Asia Cup.
The impending Asia Cup and AFCON were always going to hurt some teams more than others but for Spurs, it has arguably hit the hardest. From an already injury-ridden squad, Son, as well as first-choice CDM duo Sarr and Bissouma will leave.
So, how will Spurs cope without Son Heung-Min, especially with other attackers like James Maddison, Manor Solomon, and Ivan Perisic also facing an extended spell on the sidelines?
Embed from Getty ImagesTheir team will undoubtedly be poorer for it, but this is what they can do –
Option 1- Dust off the “False 9”
Spurs’ attacking numbers are dwindling. The situation is so bad that they have recalled Dane Scarlett from his loan spell at Championship high-flyers Ipswich Town (more on him and other youngsters later).
Therefore, the only way to navigate a situation where there’s a paucity of forwards is to dust off the system that doesn’t need one. Thankfully for Spurs, Ange Postecoglou’s fluid, ball-possession philosophy is perfectly suited to succeed without a focal point up front.
In Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson, Spurs have two silky creators who also have a knack for arriving in the box at the right time along with knitting the play together.
Johnson, especially, could be the major beneficiary of this change as his Spurs career has so far struggled to hit the ground running. He was a prolific contributor for Nottingham Forest which prompted Spurs to splash the cash on him and this adversity for Spurs could be an opportunity for him.
The same goes for Kulusevski. His shift inside from the wing to a No 10 unlocked his best skill set which is his creativity. Playing False 9 is not ideal for him, but his skillset looks well-suited to make a go of it for a while. He’s suspended for their next game after an accumulation of yellow cards anyway so Johnson will have to do that job. However, putting the Swede as the False 9 for a game or two could work, especially with James Maddison’s return on the horizon beefing up the attacking ranks.
Option 2- Trust the youth
As mentioned earlier, Dane Scarlett has been recalled from Ipswich, while youngsters Alejo Veliz and Jamie Donley have seen first-team minutes due to this crisis. The manager doesn’t look like he’s afraid to throw the youngsters in the deep end to see if they sink or swim.
This is an opportunity every academy player dreams of, as they wouldn’t get anywhere near the first team if everyone in the senior setup was fit and firing. It is a unique situation where Tottenham has greater use of Scarlett than Ipswich, where he played only 8% of all available league minutes.
Veliz has already impressed a bit, scoring in his 26 minutes of league football. But sadly he got injured today against Bournemouth and those tears scare me owing to how long he will serve the sidelines. Donley has also been considered a highly-rated prospect in their ranks so it could be time for him to realise his potential.
Marcus Rashford at Manchester United exploded when United had an injury crisis in their ranks and never looked back. The opportunity is there at Spurs right now to repeat that feat.
Option 3- Invest in the market
This is option three because it is least likely to happen, not because Tottenham don’t have money, but because they have other priorities which are a lot more urgent. With their attack, they can look forward to Maddison, Solomon, Perisic, and Bentancur’s return in January. Therefore, investing more makes less sense than buying another centre-back, where one injury to Van de Ven thrust Ben Davies to play there.
They are close to getting Radu Dragusin from Genoa for the CB spot but they might look at a loan move or two for attacking players.
That way, the loan player can help them get through the injury crisis in the short-term, and provide useful depth in attack when injured/absent players return. The January market is difficult for permanent deals but there are always unhappy players at their current clubs looking for a move to help them engineer a better deal in the summer. Spurs could look to pounce on such players.
If they are feeling ambitious, they could even try to convince Serhou Guirassy to swap Stuttgart for Spurs although, with the widespread interest in his services, that could be difficult. Getting a talented young forward for the long-term could be on their agenda as well, with names like Ajax’s Stanis Idumbo Muzambo, or Gift Orban.
Either way, Spurs have to get moving in the transfer window, be it for defenders, or attackers. Otherwise, all the momentum built up by Ange’s strong start at the club will dissipate really quickly as injuries pile up and absences start taking their toll.
