Injuries to key players proved to be costly for Tottenham Hotspur last season when their campaign took a turn for the worse in November.
It was no surprise that the injuries suffered by Micky van de Ven and James Maddison correlated with a significant downturn in form for Ange Postecoglou’s side, and he will be hoping to avoid anything similar this season.
Spurs captain Heung-min Son became the latest casualty this season when he suffered a hamstring issue in the 3-0 win over Qarabag, joining the likes of Richarlison on the sidelines.
Destiny Udogie was forced off at half time when Tottenham beat Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday and was not risked against Ferencvaros in midweek, however, it is hopeful that the defender will return against Brighton.
Ange Postecoglou has offered an encouraging update on the fitness of Richarlison, who has been out of action since featuring in Tottenham’s 4-0 win over Everton in August.
The Brazilian has been seen back on the grass at the club’s Hotspur Way training facility as he builds up his fitness following his calf issue.
The Spurs boss told Football.London: “He’s going well. Hopefully post-international break we’ll get him involved in team training.”
Richarlison faces competition for game time within the Tottenham first-team squad following the arrival of Dominic Solanke in the transfer window, with Postecoglou looking forward to having more options at his disposal.
He added: “I would love that. It’s exactly what we want. That was the plan at the start of the year and then you end up, second game of the season, neither of them is available.
“We’ve got a hell of a lot of games and we want to be competitive in all of them.
“I can’t wait to get Richy back available. When he played for us last year and was fit, he scored goals. To have him and Dom as our strikers – and Richy can play wide as well – can’t wait to get him back.
“His recent history over the last two or three years is that he hasn’t been able to sustain it, he’s broken down. What we’re trying to do this time around is do everything right so that when he comes back, he stays back. That’s the key with Richy and hopefully that is the case.”
Injuries have always been Richarlison’s downfall during his time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, just when he looks to be building up some consistency in front of goal, he has found himself back on the treatment table.
Given the fact that games are now coming thick and fast in the Premier League, Europa League and Carabao Cup, there should be plenty of opportunities for the striker to build up his match fitness and shoulder his fair share of the goalscoring burden which rests on the shoulders of Solanke.
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