Ange Postecoglou is going to need his full Tottenham squad fit and firing if the club are to finish the 2024/25 campaign on a positive note. Spurs return to domestic action next Thursday evening with a London derby at Chelsea on the calendar.
Tottenham tend not to fare well at Stamford Bridge and next week's clash is the perfect opportunity for Postecoglou's side to get back on track. Chelsea themselves have also endured a poor fun of form of late but they currently sit fourth in the Premier League table with nine games of the term to go.
For Tottenham, who are in 14th, they need to try and reduce the ten-point gap between themselves and Bournemouth in what remains of the season. Spurs certainly have an uphill battle on their hands and it will require them to put a consistent run of wins together and also for results to go their way if they are to climb back into the top half.
What should help in the run-in is that things have started to ease up in the treatment room over the past month. Dejan Kulusevski, Kevin Danso and Richarlison will hopefully return to action very soon, with Radu Dragusin the only long-term absentee after sustaining an ACL injury in late January.
If Tottenham can keep the vast majority of their playing squad fit, Postecoglou is going to have a huge decision to make in terms of his 20-man matchday party in the Premier League as a number of players will be forced to watch on from the stands. It is slightly different in Europe, however, as clubs are permitted to name 23 players in a matchday squad.
Having last week named Tottenham's strongest starting XI for the remainder of the season, we have now taken a look at what their substitutes' bench could look like if everyone is available. That is of course a big if considering how the season has panned out so far in terms of injuries.
The first place on the bench is taken up by January signing Antonin Kinsky. The Czech youngster performed well in Guglielmo Vicario's absence but his opportunity in the team will only come again if the Italian is missing.
If indeed Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are paired as Postecoglou's first-choice defensive partnership, Danso, upon his return to fitness, will take his place on the bench. Archie Gray can then act as a further centre-back cover and also offer the head coach choice in the middle of the park.
With Djed Spence named at left-back in our strongest Tottenham team, Destiny Udogie starts on the bench despite his previous undroppable status. Pape Matar Sarr also finds himself there after dropping out of the Tottenham XI recently.
Postecoglou could then face a huge call over Yves Bissouma. The Mali international has really struggled for form this campaign and has been substituted at half-time in three of his last six Premier League appearances.
Bissouma is a definite in the Tottenham squad when at the top of his game but his current woes could leave him in a rather precarious position. The final decision from Postecoglou may all come down to whether he wants an extra midfielder or extra winger to choose from.
If it is an extra midfielder he wants then one of Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert or Mathys Tel could subsequently miss out. If not, the aforementioned trio would then be named as substitutes alongside Richarlison to complete the permitted nine.
In the above scenario with everyone fit, Fraser Forster, Brandon Austin, Alfie Whiteman, Sergio Reguilon, Ben Davies, Dragusin, Timo Werner, Mikey Moore, Dane Scarlett and then either Bissouma or an attacker would miss the final cut. Amid a number of injury problems since the start of the 2024/25 campaign, it would be nice for Postecoglou to finally have a bit of luck on his side for once as Tottenham look to win the Europa League and finish as high up the Premier League table as possible.
Strongest Tottenham bench: Kinsky, Danso, Udogie, Gray, Sarr, Odobert, Johnson, Tel, Richarlison.
Postecoglou falls into a trap, Pochettino's vow and the Bissouma problem - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham
Want breaking and top Tottenham stories sent straight to you? Join our Spurs WhatsApp community by clicking this link! If you're curious you can check out our privacy policy here.