Tottenham Hotspur travel to Aston Villa on Friday night.Tottenham Hotspur travel to Aston Villa on Friday night.
Tottenham Hotspur travel to Aston Villa on Friday night. | Getty Images
Yesteryear, Ange Postecoglou may have been punished for huge changes to his team but now Tottenham Hotspur must exploit that old rule change.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou joked that he would be wrapping his squad in ‘cotton wool’ this week ahead of the Europa League final against Manchester United next week. He may have cracked a wry smile when uttering that phrase but the Aussie should not be joking in the slightest.
The Premier League season is over for the north London club. It’s been a disaster and an embarrassment that won’t be hidden even if Spurs manage to thrash Aston Villa at Villa Park and record a triumphant victory against Brighton on the final day of the campaign.
Postecoglou and the club know that the only way to salvage something from the 2024/25 campaign is by getting their hands on the Europa League trophy. It’s been a spectacular cup run and the season hinges on the final in Bilbao next week. Win, and Tottenham Hotspur remember a historic campaign. Lose, and it’s the worst season in years.
Tottenham Hotspur managing fresh injury blow
A primary reason why it has been such a poor season for Postecoglou’s men is a plague of injuries that have run through the squad. Guglielmo Vicario, Cristian Romero, Micky Van de Ven, Wlison Odobert, Ben Davies and Richarlison are just a handful of first team stars who have missed a chunk of action.
Now, ahead of that Europa League final, Tottenham Hotspur have been rocked by the news that Dejan Kulusevski has undergone surgery and will miss out. The 25-year-old is a vital player for Postecoglou thanks to his versatility but joins James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall and Dane Scarlett on the injury table.
Clearly, Spurs are struggling to keep players fit this season and the club needs its squad at top strength to overcome an unpredictable Manchester United outfit. Any further injuries must be avoided at all cost.
Postecoglou said: “We’ve got enough injuries. I’ll put them in cotton wool for the next ten days. Seriously, with the way things have gone this year, any extra curricular activities are going to be at a minimum.”
Postecoglou has also spoken of using the Aston Villa match as a chance for key players to impress and ensure a place on the starting XI next week but he is playing with fire on the injury front. The Tottenham Hotspur manager must rotate his squad as much as possible and key his starting XI to take on Manchester United in that cotton wool he speaks of.
Premier League makes rotation rule change in 2011
Previously, making dramatic changes to his starting XI may have been penalised by the Premier League. Blackpool were fined £25,000 for rotating 10 of their starting XI during their time in the top flight.
That rule ensured that there was always a level playing field and that, for example, the Spurs team that Aston Villa face is as strong as another team had to play at a different stage of the season - especially important given the Villains’ involvement in the race for Champions League football.
However, that rule changed in 2011 and means that Postecoglou can keep as many of his best players away from the action as he likes. Following the 2010/11 campaign, clubs agreed to modify the rules to allow for mass rotation. A spokesman for the Premier League said at the time: "The clubs voted at the last Premier League Annual General Meeting to modify the rule regarding clubs fielding full strength teams (E.20). From 2011/12 onwards the rule will allow any combination of players included in a club's 25-man squad list to be selected for a Premier League fixture.
"The 25-man squad rules do allow clubs to pick Under-21 players beyond those named in their squad list and, with this in mind, it was agreed by the clubs that it was appropriate for the rule to remain in place in order to ensure the integrity of the competition."
Postecoglou must remind himself of that rule and seek reassurance from it. The Europa League final is all or nothing and the meeting with Aston Villa this week cannot be to the detriment of that giant European clash.
In other news, Jonathan David makes announcement amid Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham links.
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