Tottenham Hotspur enter a crucial week in their season, boosted by a two-nil win at Brentford that ended their poor Premier League run.
Ange Postecoglou’s side had been slipping down the table, but the victory provides much-needed momentum ahead of two massive cup fixtures.
With injuries still limiting options and the transfer window not being as well planned as it could’ve been, this week could define Spurs’ ambitions for the rest of the campaign.
Ange Postecoglou’s side had been slipping down the table, but the victory provides much-needed momentum ahead of two massive cup fixtures.
With injuries still limiting options and the transfer window not being as well planned as it could’ve been, this week could define Spurs’ ambitions for the rest of the campaign.
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SportsTranscript
00:00So James, looking at Spurs and their recent results in the Premier League, they've turned
00:06things around. Their first sort of win since December as well. It was a torrid month really
00:10for them in terms of the league form in January. They ended the month obviously on quite a
00:15high, well started February of course. Away at Brentford, a very, very tough place to
00:20go this season especially as well. I mean, it was a scrappy game but they made sure they
00:25got over the line. What does this sort of do for Spurs' confidence? You know, obviously
00:30we've been discussing how they've been slightly looking over their shoulder at the relegation
00:34zone. Maybe that's going to be put to bed in the next couple of weeks. But this is huge
00:38for them ahead of obviously a big week, which we'll get into a huge week ahead for them.
00:43But just on the Brentford game, what were your thoughts? Come away from that, as I mentioned,
00:48a very, very tough place to go and get a result for any team this season so far.
00:54Yeah, it was a massive win. We absolutely needed it. However it came, we just needed
00:59to get over the line yesterday on the Brentford match and get three points in the bag. We
01:06were worthy winners. It was a really dogged performance, a different type of performance
01:11from Spurs. It's not a performance you often see. I think we cleared sort of 34 crosses
01:16that came into the box against them. We were excellent, really, really resolute, showed
01:23a lot of character, a lot of spirit, a lot of fight there with some tired legs after
01:27playing again 48 hours previously on the Thursday night. And we had a little bit of quality
01:33to finish the game off when it mattered. I mean, the final goal was a really, really
01:37slick team move. Nice breakaway on the transition and I think every player touched the ball
01:43by Jed Spence and a really, really good run from Sar, a great little ball in from Son
01:47and that really settled the nerves at the end. And I think you could see what it meant
01:50to the players come the final whistle, you know, the sort of huddle and Son rallying
01:56the troops as well. I mean, it just looked like it might be something that helps us turn
02:00a corner. Obviously, it sets us up massively for a huge cup competition as we'll come on
02:04to. But overall, that gives us a little bit of breathing space as well away from the relegation
02:10place as it takes us 10 points clear. Goal difference as well gives us that swing of
02:15probably another point. So, it has us looking up instead of looking over our shoulder and
02:19you know, why did we need it?
02:22And here's what manager Anj Poster-Koglou had to say following his side's win at Brentford.
02:27The supporters and we need to, you know, it's only one game. We need to rectify our league.
02:34We know that, you know, we're not in the league position. We want to be nowhere near it. It's
02:37been disappointing. But through that time, not through a lack of effort or will or determination
02:43by the players, they're giving everything. And I was super pleased today that they could
02:47share that moment with the supporters.
02:50And James, looking at Spurs' injury situation, obviously we've mentioned, you know, so many
02:56times throughout the season that they've had a bit of bad luck, you know, sort of failed
03:00to rejuvenate that in January as much as they probably should have. And Spurs fans thought
03:06they would have approached that situation. But what's the latest on injuries? Is there
03:10any sort of return dates in mind and can they get any sort of confidence from players possibly
03:16returning soon?
03:17Yeah, well, I mean, it's light at the end of the tunnel at long last. Although just
03:22when we get Micky van der Ven back on the pitch against Helsborg in the Europa League,
03:26we learnt lost Dragosen in the same game and it looks like Dragosen might be out for the
03:30rest of the season. We've obviously brought in Kevin Danso from Racing Club Lens, which
03:35sort of plugs that gap in terms of that centre-back position and gives us a little bit of cover.
03:40But in terms of the sort of existing squad, it's looking very, very healthy, I think,
03:45in terms of the next week to 10 days. I mean, Vicario, Udoge, Bennett-Johnson, James Maddison,
03:51Wilson Odebere as well back in training, all on or around February the 10th. So, at long
03:57last, that injury list looks to be easing off. There's obviously, you know, a little
04:02bit of passing we've got to navigate in terms of getting them fully fit and easing players
04:05back in and managing minutes, etc. But finally, it looks like things might well be turning
04:11a corner and, you know, to have hung in there in the cup competitions has been massive during
04:16this injury crisis. Absolutely, the league form's taken a battering and we've been largely
04:21very, very disappointing. But, you know, things are starting to ease at long last, fingers
04:26crossed, although knowing Spurs, you know, who knows what might happen next.