Ange Postecoglou could be without a single senior centre-back for Tottenham Hotspur's Premier League clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday, adding to the mounting pressure on the Australian manager.
Spurs suffered a 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest's City Ground on Boxing Day after one 6-3 beats at the hands of Liverpool in front of their own fans. The first-choice defensive pairing of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven limped off during another disaster. 4-3 loss to Chelsea earlier this month, leaving Postecoglou desperately short of defensive options.
Radu Dragusin had lined up alongside 18-year-old midfielder Archie Gray but limped off in the latter stages of Thursday's defeat to Forest with an ankle injury. of Spurs The boss warned it was “a little early to say” whether the 22-year-old Romanian would be fit for the visit of Wolves, but Ben Davies has been ruled out for “another two weeks”.
Right-back Djed Spence removed one of Postecoglou's few remaining defensive options by picking up a second yellow card in the 94th minute at the City Ground.
“We're in a tough spot,” Postecoglou admitted when addressing the media on Friday, “we've been for a while. We've been through it for a long time and we're keeping our fingers crossed that we don't make it. More issue is another test for us, but whatever we have to deal with, we will deal with and prepare for Sunday.
The former Celtic coach has fall under fire for deploying an adventurous high defensive line although the profile of available centre-backs may not suit this approach. The challenging manager has repeatedly insisted that he will not compromise on his principles, but admitted that the squad would benefit from some defensive additions in January.
“It's not just about bringing someone in,” Postecoglou warned, “but there is certainly a need for us to step up if we can.”
While Spurs languish in the bottom half of the Premier League tablePostecoglou remained defiant. “I will continue to do what I think is the right thing to achieve success for this club”, he emphasized. “That doesn't change. The task is difficult because of our situation, but like most things that are difficult enough to get through, it's only temporary, we'll get through it and come out stronger. “