As they say in the hip-hop community, “can’t stop, won’t stop.” That phrase would certainly apply to the Tottenham Hotspur injury situation as a whole this season, and for striker Richarlison in particular.
The Brazilian went off injured in stoppage time of the 4-0 loss at Anfield last night.
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Kickoff: Sun. Feb. 9, 5:35pm, Villa Park, Birmingham, UK
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“It’s disappointing for him and he was emotional last night because he worked really hard to get himself back,” under fire manager Ange Postecoglou said of Richarlison and his lower leg injury on Thursday night. “It’s another setback that he’s going to have to deal with, we’re going to have to deal with. Hopefully get him back as soon as possible.”
Richarlison, who has been very vocal about the challenges that he deals with from a mental health stand point, has had a flurry of physical health problems in the past few years as well.
Since moving over from Everton in 2022, Richarlison has dealt with calf, groin, knee and hamstring injuries.
Also sidelined for the Aston Villa clash on Sunday are the following players: James Maddison, Timo Werner, Guglielmo Vicario, Cristian Romero, Radu Dragusin, Destiny Udogie, Wilson Odobert, Brennan Johnson, Timo Werner and Dominic Solanke.
Postecoglu did not provide a status update on any of the players in the aforementioned group, but he did provide the media with some news on the condition of another sidelined player, Micky van de Ven.
And it wasn’t good.
“Micky got through the [Europa League] game with no problem, but he feels he’s not ready yet for the step up to the Premier League,” Postecoglu said of the central defender’s situation. “And after losing Radu (Dragusin), I’m not going to risk these guys.”
While no one comes off the injured list for this weekend, the Australian hopes that a couple guys will for the following weekend.
“We’re still hopeful we’ll get at least two or maybe three back for the Man United game,” Postecoglou said.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.
