Injuries have hit Tottenham hard in recent weeks and left Antonio Conte with limited options in certain positions on the pitch. Always going to have absent players to contend with over the course of the season, they all seem to have come at once in attack.
Without Dejan Kulusevski for the past ten games after he sustained a hamstring issue on Sweden international duty in September, Richarlison has missed five games through a calf problem and Lucas Moura only returned to action midway through October after a two-month absence. Spurs' woes were compounded even further on Tuesday evening in Marseille with Son Heung-min now needing surgery to stabilise a fracture around his left eye after receiving a blow to his face in an aerial challenge.
Those in the Tottenham treatment room have been joined by Cristian Romero of late, with the Argentina international missing three of the team's last four games. Confirming that the player's absence against Newcastle United was down to muscle fatigue in his calf, Conte told football.london ahead of the Bournemouth match that he took a "big, big risk" playing the 24-year-old in the Champions League tie against Sporting CP.
READ MORE: Every word Antonio Conte said on Son surgery, Kulusevski return and one problem with Bentancur
Romero could now potentially miss out on all three of Tottenham's matches ahead of the World Cup, before returning to fitness in time for Argentina's games in Qatar. A huge miss for Spurs last season when he was sidelined for three months with a hamstring injury, Conte may have found his ideal replacement for Romero on the right of the back three as a result of his absence.
Previously always opting for Davinson Sanchez in the position when the ex-Atalanta man has missed out, the Colombian was extremely shaky in the late win at Bournemouth and was hooked on the hour mark. As a result, Sanchez dropped down to the bench and Eric Dier, who came on in his place at the Vitality Stadium, started on the right in Marseille.
Showing his quality against the Cherries with some positive runs forward and putting in some testing balls for the backline to deal with, Dier demonstrated that he can be an alternative to Romero if required. Not getting that attacking play from Sanchez that Romero brings to the team, Dier's experience of playing further forward and his quality on the ball gives Conte something extra on the right when the Argentine is missing.
Dier has been Conte's man in the middle since the head coach arrived at the club one year ago but he was given a breather at Bournemouth after previously starting every game this term. Not having a direct replacement for the long-serving player as Joe Rodon headed out on loan to Rennes at the start of the season, Conte told football.london before the Everton game that Romero and Sanchez can cover for Dier but he did not mention Clement Lenglet at all.
"There are specific roles that is very, very difficult to make rotation," outlined the Italian when asked if it's hard to rotate Dier. "I think that position, the central defenders, is very very important. I think he is playing a really good season.
"In that position, we can use also Cristian Romero, Sanchez could play, but if I have the possibility and the player give me the availability and tell me that he recovered energy, there are positions in the team that it is better to continue to play."
With many believing that Lenglet could cover in the middle as well as his usual position on the left, the Frenchman finally started in the centre in the 3-2 win away at Bournemouth. Despite Dominic Solanke getting the better of him on the halfway line for Kieffer Moore's opener, the loanee produced a good performance overall and looked more than comfortable in the heart of defence.
Not having the best 45 minutes in Marseille with Spurs put under intense pressure at the back, Lenglet really stood up when it mattered most after the break and delivered a big display. Nodding home the crucial equaliser, he also made some big interceptions at the back and kept pushing up the pitch at times with Spurs looking to punish the French side.
Showing over the past two games his quality in the middle of defence and his talent on the ball, Lenglet has demonstrated to the boss that he can be a Dier alternative when needed, with the latter doing likewise when it comes to replacing Romero. The Argentina international has been a miss for Tottenham but Conte has now found alternatives in two different defensive positions over the past week.
Liverpool are next on the agenda for Tottenham on Sunday evening and that hands both Dier and Lenglet a chance to catch the eye in their new roles. More of the same is going to be needed from the pair as Spurs look to inflict even more misery on the Reds this weekend.
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