Ange Postecoglou has defended not signing another centre-back in the summer as the club struggling with a crippling injury crisis.
Injuries to first-choice centre-back partners Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero had already left Tottenham depleted in recent weeks, and now left-back Ben Davies has been ruled out for most of December following game-time as an emergency centre-back alongside Radu Dragusin.
Archie Gray, predominantly a midfielder, was drafted in against Rangers on Thursday and is set to deputise again on Sunday at Southampton. Spurs can in January recall Ashley Phillips from his season-long loan with Stoke City.
“I could have had six centre-backs, but name me one club that has six centre-backs and has enough depth,” Postecoglou said when asked whether he ought to have signed further cover in the summer.
“It is impossible. I know people say you should have signed one. But how many centre-backs can I have? The reality of it is if all of them are fit and three aren’t going to play and you just have them on your roster.
“Every club goes into a season with three or maybe four centre-backs, which we did this year and unfortunately for us three of those four are injured.”
In a possible dig at rivals such as Arsenal, Postecoglou added: “I’ve seen clubs lose one centre-back and people call it an injury-crisis and it is because your centre-back pairing is crucial.
“In the top teams, your pairing is a constant and teams that don’t have those constants you really struggle even when you miss one. We are missing three. Of course, it is going to affect us and our ability to play the way we want to. You can’t have six centre-backs in a Premier League squad of 25.”
