Tottenham entered FIFA Days in October with the baggage of a 2-3 reverse to Brighton despite leading 2-0. After the break, they resumed their journey with a London Derby against West Ham at home, a match that was considered very difficult.
Tottenham are currently four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea. While not a huge gap, it is not an easy one to bridge with Spurs’ current form. However, if they cannot overcome their city rivals, Postecoglou and his players should not let it get any wider.
Comprehensive assessment of players' injury and fitness status
Lucas Bergvall's time with Sweden ended early during FIFA Days in October when he picked up a minor injury and was ruled out of the match against Estonia. The team in yellow also confirmed that Bergvall had left the team to return to his club to recover. Ange Postecoglou hopes his player can recover quickly before the Derby against West Ham.
Whether Cristian Romero will be fit after returning from the Argentina squad is also a matter of serious consideration. The Spurs defender has been in poor form over the past few weeks and it would be dangerous to continue playing in such a state.
Meanwhile, Brennan Johnson also appears to have an injury problem. He played only 45 minutes of Wales' draw with Iceland. Captain Craig Bellamy said he had to take Johnson off for safety after a collision in the first half.
The star who has attracted the most attention is captain Son Heung-min. The Korean striker has missed Tottenham's last three matches. Timo Werner's unbelievable misses have made "Ga Rooster" fans miss Son even more. If he returns in time for the weekend, Postecoglou will probably use his student in the starting lineup.
Avoid repeating scenarios like the loss to Brighton
It is not the first time in Postecoglou's reign that Tottenham have lost in such a way. Although the Australian strategist's philosophy is to attack, in the Premier League, Spurs are not strong enough like the Top 3 teams to be able to impose themselves on opponents from match to match.
In particular, the break between the two halves witnessed Tottenham's great inertia. They had almost no breakthroughs in the context of their opponents waking up many times. If they want to compete this season, Tottenham needs to be smart and know how to lower their ego. Negative defense is sometimes not bad, even very necessary if they want to preserve points.
Midfield needs change
Rodrigo Bentancur has been in fine form in recent months but the defeat to Brighton was not one of them. The Uruguayan's temporary dip in form has made Yves Bissouma's chances of returning to the first team look brighter.
James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are certainly two indispensable factors in midfield. Therefore, Postecoglou will need to consider the tactical plan to incorporate Bissouma if he decides to play this trio against West Ham. Having Bissouma will also make the defense more solid, avoiding the situation of losing too easily like against Brighton.
Last season, Postecoglou and his students paid a heavy price when they fell due to a poor defense, despite having climbed to the top of the rankings at the beginning of the season. This time, having fallen right from the beginning of the season, they need to wake up to avoid falling further.
