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There is no question that Spurs have struggled without Toby Alderweireld since the Belgian defender went down with a hamstring injury during the 3-1 win over Real Madrid on November 1st.
He hasn’t trained or played since, and spoke about his fears that the injury could become more serious. Those quotes scared Spurs fans into thinking that Alderweireld might be out until April, but now Mauricio Pochettino has clarified that the injury is not that bad.
Poch on Alderweireld: "He needs nothing more than only working hard now and getting treatment. He's on time, he's doing well. We don't need to be worried. He avoided the injury that would keep him out for a long time."
— Alasdair Gold (@AlasdairGold) December 8, 2017
#thfc Pochettino shoots down fears Alderweireld's injury could be worse than feared: "[Toby] said ‘IF it’s the case that the injury was worse than it was, with surgery I would maybe spend 14 weeks out’. But it wasn’t the case. I don’t know if I've clarified or if it’s worse now!”
— Ben Pearce (@BenPearceSpurs) December 8, 2017
Poch has been known to not be entirely truthful about injuries before, but this seems legit. And it’s great news for Spurs, who are thin at center-back at the moment.
Alderweireld is continuing to rehab and will apparently have a scan next week to assess his progress. He’s crucial to Tottenham’s success, but that doesn’t mean he should be rushed back at risk of further injury.
Pochettino also spoke about Danny Rose, who was taken off against APOEL with a cut on his face that required stitches.
#thfc Pochettino on Danny Rose after the cut above his eye v Apoel: "He’s ok, he’s doing well. He’s training yesterday and today. He’s had stitches but he’s ok.”
— Ben Pearce (@BenPearceSpurs) December 8, 2017
Rose is available, and seems to be getting along fine with Poch, despite what some claimed they saw when he was subbed-off on Wednesday.
Davinson Sanchez isn’t available for the Stoke game, as he will serve the first of a three-game suspension for his red card against Watford. He will also miss the matches against Brighton and Manchester City.
Victor Wanyama is still recovering from his knee injury. We’d heard before that he won’t be available until the new year, but the latest is that he is continuing his individual training outdoors.
The dreaded holiday fixture season is here, and there is little time for rest and recovery between matches. But luckily it seems like the plethora of injuries Tottenham had suffered are finally subsiding.