Spurs might have a big injury problem as Harry Kane and others go down
When the final whistle was blown to wrap up Tottenham Hotspur's 1-0 win over Sunderland, the fans at White Hart Lane cheered, but they also walked out of the ground with serious worry. Because while Spurs may have played well and won to move third in the table, they also suffered a slew of injuries, including what appeared to be a serious one to Harry Kane.
Spurs' star striker went down late with what appeared to be an ankle injury. He laid on the pitch as the play went on around him before being stretchered off the pitch. The club don't know the severity of the injury, saying that he will undergo scans on Monday, but he did leave White Hart Lane on crutches.
Meanwhile, Kyle Walker played the last 15 minutes of the match while limping and both Mousa Dembele and Eric Dier had to exit with cramp. Danny Rose is still out with an injury and Kevin Wimmer has been absent all season after getting hurt in the preseason. The season is just a month old and, all of a sudden, Spurs' injury worries are piling up.
There were worries about Tottenham would handle the Champions League this season. They had played in the Europa League before, and playing on Thursdays is more taxing, but Spurs would need to lean on their first team players more than ever in Europe's premier competition. With Mauricio Pochettino's pressing, high intensity style, could Spurs maintain their level of play and stay fit this year?
The good news for Spurs is they are reasonably well equipped to handle these injuries. Losing Kane for an extended period would obviously be a huge blow -- few teams can withstand an injury to a striker as good as Kane -- but they bought Vincent Janssen in the summer and he's looking like someone Spurs can confidently turn to. Like Kane, Dier's absence would have spelled doom a year ago too, but Victor Wanyama is more than capable of filling in and was tremendous on Sunday. The only concern is what they will do at centerback; Dier stepped in against Sunderland, but they don't have much in the way of depth with Wimmer MIA.
Considering the other concerns are at fullback, positions that can be hidden to some degree, Spurs won't be ruined by injuries. But they could be slowed down, and with a Champions League opening loss to Monaco and the glut of teams fighting for the top four in the Premier League, that could loom large.
Or maybe the injuries won't prove to be serious and Tottenham will be fine. They'll be hoping for that because they got three points, but Sunday didn't treat them very well.
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