Vanderben has yet to come back in two weeks, Tottenham manager in crisis ahead of FA Cup Villa, hope for injury ward

Feb 08, 2025

"It takes more time for Mickey Vanderben to return."

At 2:35 a.m. on the 10th (Korea time), two days after losing 0-4 away to Liverpool in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semifinal, coach Angie Postecoglou of the crisis ahead of the away match in Aston Villa in the fourth round of the FA Cup updated the injury situation of Mickey Vanderben, and refuted Leighton Orient's coach Rich Wellens, who has recently become a big issue among fans with his "Postec sniper".

While recording double-digit injuries in each game, 12 of the main players were absent in the match against Aston Villa. Most of them are scheduled to return within two weeks, but with this atmosphere, there are also predictions that Postecoglou will be replaced before the return of the injured.

In fact, at a press conference ahead of the match against Aston Villa, there was a question about the pressure that if they lose in the fourth round of the FA Cup, they could lose the opportunity to remain coach.

Postecoglou replied "I personally don't think so." "When things don't go well, people will see who's most responsible and that's me, so of course the issue will be a hot topic." "But those things don't change the decisions I'm going to make or the way I work today, or the way I'm determined to go." "What's important right now is to focus on the players who played against Liverpool two days ago to recover for Sunday's game. It's a big game and I'm hoping for a positive result. And then in a few weeks, I think important players will come back and be of great help."

However, Postecoglou ruled out the possibility of an early return of key player and ace Vanderben, who will resolve defensive instability. Van Derven, who had a hamstring injury, returned for 45 minutes and played, but later missed major games such as the match against Liverpool. Speaking to Football London last week, Postecoglou said: "Still feeling uncomfortable and not ready to return. But he was not injured again.'

Even ahead of the Aston Villa game "I won't be able to play this weekend. Mickey updated, "Maybe it'll take a little more time" "Certainly, the players who are close to returning are goalkeeper Vicario, Destiny Udoghi, Wilson O'Dober, James Maddison and Brennan Johnson. They will all return to training in the middle of next week or the week after. All of them will be available within the next two weeks."

Postecoglou's injured list has been in double digits for the past two months. In the midst of player famine, players under the age of 18 were given a total of 42 starting opportunities and 3,941 minutes of playing time. This is nearly double that of North London rival Arsenal, who have 22 starts and 2034 minutes of playing time. Teenage players such as Archie Gray and Lucas Bergbal received opportunities to grow, but they did not lead to clear points or results, and Tottenham fans are tired of the fact that the injured list is considered the reason for the sluggishness with the same 12 to 13 players coming out every three days.

On top of that, coach Leighton Orient Wellens asked in an interview whether the player's injury was affected by the defeat, saying, `I will not explain it. "I'm not Angie Postecoglou. "Mocking the injury excuse" became a big issue within the league.

In this regard, Coach Postecoglou protested, `I was just saying the truth, but I don't know what kind of injury narrative this is.' "There's nothing I can say if people miss something important and don't see it. I don't know what I would say if I said, 'Such a problem shouldn't make a difference' "It's understandable that people are dull or bored. Everyone wants a bit of drama but I'm just telling the truth, not the drama. We've lost some really important players and I've had to deal with this. Whether people think it's important or not, I don't know what to say if people tell me to create something out of nothing."

Wellens, who benefited from the performances of Tottenham loan stars Jamie Donley and Josh Killie, issued a statement apologizing for his jokes as his remarks spread and conveyed his desire to apologize to Postecoglou through the club.

Asked if he had received an apology, Postecoglou replied, `I have five minutes of interview time for the coach, so that's enough for me.'

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.

Vanderben has yet to come back in two weeks, Tottenham manager in crisis ahead of FA Cup Villa, hope for injury ward

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