Tottenham, led by Ange Postecoglou, played first in the most recent round of Premier League games and will play last the following weekend. The additional vacation days it gives Ange Postecoglou and his team might be very important.
Postecoglou and his team have been able to savour their position at the top of the Premier League standing after putting everything into the gritty 1-0 win over Luton prior to the fortnight of disruption, but they might find themselves back down in fourth by the time they kick off against Fulham on Monday.
What the extra period between games does do, though, is give returning international players more recovery time. Cristian Romero will be in action with Argentina on Wednesday morning, just three days before the early kick-off and his teammate Alexis Mac Allister plays for Liverpool at home to Everton on Saturday.
With a long journey back and plenty of reliance on both players, Postecoglou will be able to plan for a fitter and less fatigued South American star compared to Jurgen Klopp. The same is true of Richarlison. He played in Brazil’s 1-1 draw with Venezuela on Friday and will be similarly in action on Wednesday morning before a long journey back, the extra two days of recovery time could be priceless for him.
For others in the squad it is simply more time to get over niggles and knocks that they have picked up in recent weeks. Brennan Johnson has only played twice since joining Tottenham from Nottingham Forest on deadline day. He has struggled to find fitness and an injury-free period but was left out of Rob Page’s Wales side for the international break and could find himself in line to play against Fulham.
“The contact with Tottenham has been excellent. Prior to his team’s Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Croatia and Armenia, Page stressed the importance of respect between all parties. Working collaboratively is key since both managers want a talented player who fits their team. I won’t push him to leave since doing so would put his safety and health at danger and allow us to play a game with him.
