Ange Postecoglou has said that while he was always prepared for the eventuality of losing Son Heung-min during the Asian Cup, he explained that it is a significant blow for the side to be without their captain when Cristian Romero and James Maddison are also out of action.
Tottenham are one of the worst-hit teams in the Premier League as the Asian Cup and African Cup of Nations get underway in Qatar and the Ivory Coast respectively.
The Lilywhites will not just be without their captain but also two of their regular starters in the form of Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr.
When Postecoglou was asked if the issue of having these tournaments in the middle of the season would make Premier League sides think before signing Asian and African players in the future, he told Football.London: “I’d hate for that to be the case because you’d miss out on some fantastic talent.
“We’ve got a generational player from Asia that’s been representing our club. If we lose him every four years for five weeks, I think it’s a real small price to pay.
“I love international football, I think it’s important. I don’t like the way the calendar has been crammed, but the tournaments they are going to now are significant tournaments.
“They’re not sort of just thrown together in the last couple of years. The African Cup of Nations is very important and the Asia Cup is very important for these nations.
“You’ve got to understand these guys, this is where they were brought up. This is where a lot of who they are today comes from and when they go and represent their country and put their shirt on, it’s not just another game of football for them.
“So I’m sure Sonny and Pape would have loved to have been here with us, but it doesn’t diminish what they do there. I would never rule out somebody because they’re going to represent their country. I think representing your country helps a player develop both professionally and personally.”
Postecoglou has been planning for Son’s Spurs exit
The Tottenham head coach pointed out that while he had made preparations to be without the trio, what he did not envisage was the fact that he would also be dealing with so many key injuries at the same time.
He continued: “I’ve been preparing for [Son’s time away] since the start of the season but I wasn’t preparing to lose half a dozen other players at the same time.
“If we had some of our injured players available and fit, the absence would be diminished albeit he’s still a significant person at our football club.
“It’s not just about what he does as a player, he’s the captain of the club, he’s been our leader, an outstanding leader from day one on and off the field. It’s a significant absence.
“From that perspective, in terms of the presence he had on the field, if Romero and Maddison were available, you could diminish it, but they’re not available.
“With all the other challenges we’ve got, it makes it more difficult. But it’s been like that from day one. We’ve had to overcome these things and it’s just another challenge for us.”
Not all players featuring in the two tournaments will be jetting off at the same time. In fact, Andre Onana is expected to feature against Spurs on January 14, just 24 hours before Cameroon kick off their AFCON campaign against Guinea (The Athletic).
When asked if this sort of arrangement is unfair on his side, Postecoglou responded: “Yeah, I don’t think it’s fair or unfair. Each club can deal with it the way we want. There’s other reasons for these kind of things, but no, certainly, what other clubs do doesn’t affect me or the way I view it.
“Ultimately we’re bound by Fifa rules with these things. We want our players to represent their countries. They are big tournaments they are going to and hopefully they are all successful.
“More importantly, hopefully, they all come back healthy. I’ve spent zero time [worrying about the Onana situation], not bothered at all what other clubs do.”
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So far this season, the team has been able to cope with all of the major challenges head-on, with several fringe players stepping up and delivering in the absence of key stars.
While Postecoglou would believe that the same can happen this month, he would also be desperate for Romero and Maddison to recover ahead of schedule so that his side have a few experienced leaders out on the pitch.