Although Spurs returned to winning ways as they sealed a 4-1 victory over Aston Villa last weekend, with Dominic Solanke grabbing a brace in the Premier League contest to take his tally to five goals since joining from Bournemouth in the summer, the three points came at a cost.
Postecoglou conceded that Richarlison sustained a hamstring problem after coming on as a substitute in the encounter, resulting in him having to be withdrawn, and Tottenham have been left sweating over whether he will be able to make a full recovery ahead of the fast-approaching international break.
Tottenham are fearful that Richarlison's injury could be a major setback at a time when Son and Timo Werner's minutes are being carefully managed as they aim to shake off issues of their own, according to GMS sources, resulting in Postecoglou being left with a dilemma as he plans for this week's encounters with Galatasaray and Ipswich.
The Brazil international, who has been on Spurs' books since completing a £60million switch from Premier League rivals Everton in July 2022, is in danger of being unable to compete in the contests after suffering the injury while claiming an assist during the win over Aston Villa last time out.
GMS sources have been informed that further checks need to be made on Richarlison, Son and Werner to work out whether any of them are in a position to start the Europa League meeting with Turkish giants Galatasaray, while Mikey Moore could be handed a route back into the line-up if Postecoglou wants to take a cautious approach.
Injury Concerns
Richarlison came off the bench during Spurs’ 4-1 win over Aston Villa last weekend and injured himself setting up Dominic Solanke’s second goal.
The Brazilian posted on his Instagram on Wednesday morning and said this was a “difficult moment”, but he will work hard to overcome it.
Postecoglou has confirmed Richarlison be out for a period of time and Tottenham are waiting for more tests to learn the full extent of the injury.
“Richy, with his hamstring, he’ll be out for a little while,” said Postecoglou. “We’re still getting the final information but he’ll be out for a little while.”
Teenage star Moore is out due to a virus, which has forced him to stay at home, while fellow forward Werner is struggling with a groin injury.
Romero has a toe issue and, like Moore and Werner, he has not travelled to Turkey. The defender picked up the injury against Aston Villa last weekend when competing with Morgan Rogers for the ball and was forced to come off just after the hour mark.
“Cuti is not as bad,” said Postecoglou. “He’s a possibility for the weekend.
“Timo has a bit of a groin complaint, so he’s out, and Mikey Moore picked up a bit of a virus yesterday, so he misses out on the trip as well,
“Djed [Spence] and [Sergio] Reguilon (both ineligible) are back at Hotspur Way and we’ve brought a couple of younger boys with us to train. Everyone else is fit.”
Europa League Clash
The north London side flew into Turkey on Wednesday evening and were immediately whisked to RAMS Park for the press conference for the head coach and a training session on the pitch with the players available for the game. On Thursday they will come up against a Galatasaray team full of big names such as Victor Osimhen as well as former Spurs defender Davinson Sanchez, who played more than 200 games in a Tottenham shirt and played briefly for Postecoglou.
Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold was among those in Istanbul putting the questions to Postecoglou ahead of the game. Scroll down for a full transcript with every single word the Australian said in response to the questions from the British and Turkish media.
Facing a Tough Opponent
“They’re a very, very good team. It’s exactly the kind of games you want to be involved in in Europe, whether you’re young, you’re old, irrespective of the role you have, you look forward to it.”
Postecoglou said that he's looking forward to the challenge against a strong Galatasaray side. He emphasized that the team is prepared for the test, and he believes the match will be a good one. He added that Tottenham are in good form and playing well, and he hopes that the game will be a good one for the fans.
“We’re looking forward to it. It’s a fantastic stadium, the supporters create an unbelievable atmosphere here, they love the big European nights.”
A Tough Test
“Galatasaray have players like Icardi and Osimhen, how do they influence the team?”
“As I said very good team, very good individual players but that's what you expect when you play against a top European side. We play in the Premier League so we are playing top opponents every week so we understand what that is about and top individual players, but it's a good test for us tomorrow. We've started well in the Europa League, our results have been good home and away and we want to continue that.”
Rotation Strategy
“What kind of rotation will you make with all the absences?”
“Through the Europa League we've rotated the team as we've seen. Obviously we are playing three games a week at the moment, have been since the start of the season and we've used pretty much all our squad, but that's worked well because players have come in and been fit because they're playing football regularly. We'll make changes tomorrow night but again it's just about making sure we have a team out there we believe can match the opposition and get a result for us.”
The Role of Football
“I could give you a cracking non-football answer but I'm not going to... It's where we are as a society at the moment. Sports always provides a constant in terms of escapism for people whether in the broader context of global political landscapes or people’s lives in general. We've all got things in our lives that sometimes aren't in the greatest shape so I think sport, and football in particular because it's the global sport, does. It provides some escapism, hopefully some joy, and some collective tribalism in a positive way. You feel part of something, connected to something on a weekly basis which is your team and you share that with other people. I've always felt sport and football, for me, has always been a great avenue for people to enjoy something in a community aspect and hopefully that continues.”
A Big Game for the Players
“You've got a lot of young players in the squad, there's no fear then that they can handle the atmosphere?”
“No. I’m sure that they’re all looking forward to it. That’s why you play football. I kept saying, especially with this generation, a lot of them have experienced what football is like without supporters. You certainly don’t like that when we went through Covid. We’re looking forward to it. It’s a fantastic stadium, the supporters create an unbelievable atmosphere here, they love the big European nights.”
A Key Player
“They are a team that are good at set pieces and you will come up against Davinson Sanchez again, what do you think about that?”
“Yeah, they've scored a lot of goals from set pieces. They're a threat. I think they're an attacking threat with the players they have, especially in the front third. So again we're going to have to work hard defensively tomorrow at different times. I think you always do when you play away in Europe. We'll be ready for that. Yeah, Davinson Sanchez, it'll be good to see him again. He was at the club when I first arrived. Very good professional, always trying very hard. Good guy and looking forward to seeing him tomorrow.”
A Busy Week
“What's the latest team news and who has had to stay at home?”
“Yeah, so from the weekend obviously Richy unfortunately injured his hamstring so I'm still getting the final information but I think he'll be out for a while. Romero, I think nothing too serious hopefully. So, hopefully still a chance for the weekend. Timo Werner has been carrying a bit of a groin complaint, which is still there, so he didn't travel, and Mikey Moore picked up a bit of a virus yesterday, so we've left him at home as well. I think everyone else who's fit and eligible is here.”
Transfer Rumors
“Tottenham were linked with a move for Galatasaray winger Barış Alper Yılmaz this year, was there any truth to that interest?”
“No, no, no, not from us.”
