Why Tottenham must end doom cycle against Hoffenheim to earn Europa League reprieve | OneFootball

Injuries are getting worse but a win in Germany would prove valuable

There have been several points already this winter when Tottenham's selection crisis appeared to have peaked but, on Thursday night, Ange Postecoglou's absentees will reach new heights, with no fewer than 14 players unavailable for the Europa League tie against Hoffenheim.

"You have to rotate your team, you have to have virtually two separate line-ups [when you are playing in Europe]," Postecoglou said in Germany. "We haven’t been able to do that.

There is every chance that Spurs will suffer more injuries before the bulk of their players can return to fitness

"Some of that was because of the injury toll earlier in the season and that’s accumulated and that’s created this scenario now where we’re having to play the same players consecutively. It doesn’t take much if you get two or three injuries, particularly if you get them in similar areas. That adds a load to the existing group."

There is, in short, every chance that Spurs will suffer more injuries before the bulk of their players can return to fitness, with captain Heung-min Son, Dejan Kulusevski and Pedro Porro among those who have appeared jaded in the back-to-back defeats to Arsenal and Everton.

In the circumstances, the temptation may be to prioritise Sunday's visit of Leicester in the Premier League over a low-key European tie against a club fourth from bottom of the Bundesliga (like Spurs, Hoffenheim are 15th but there are two fewer teams in Germany's top flight) but banking Europa League points in the next seven days is crucial to Spurs' hopes of getting out of their doom cycle.

Not only do their hopes of rescuing their season now depend on the three cup competitions but they must finish in the Europa League top eight to avoid a two-legged play-off next month, which would be a disastrous outcome for the club.

Action Images via Reuters

Spurs are currently ninth in the Europa League initial phase, outside the automatic qualification places on goal difference, and therefore needing results against Hoffenheim and at home to Elfsborg next Thursday to be sure of a place in the knockouts.

The play-offs would take place on February 13 and 20, leaving Spurs with two more mid-week matches, one of which would be away from home in Europe, and placing further strain on the squad.

Conversely, having consecutive free mid-weeks in February would be an important circuit-break for Spurs, allowing Postecoglou's stretched squad time to potentially recover injured players and offering a much-needed rest for those at risk.

"This has been a good solid two months of us relying on a small group of players," Postecoglou said. "We’re in every competition which is a great thing but it adds a toll. We’ve been playing two games a week for this whole period. That’s why we’re picking up some injuries now."

If Spurs are to have real hope of reversing their form and their pile-up of injuries, they need an easing up of the schedule, which means a skeleton squad must get a result in Germany.