Ange Postecoglou must capitalise with ‘Superb’ West Ham star unavailable v Tottenham
Tottenham can return to the top four with victory over West Ham United, and Alphonse Areola’s absence could help them do just that.
Spurs will travel to the London Stadium on Tuesday (2 April) for some mid-week Premier League action.
Ange Postecoglou’s side bounced back from their 3-0 defeat against Fulham at Craven Cottage with a 2-1 win over Luton Town at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday (30 March).
Meanwhile, on that same afternoon, David Moyes’ side lost 4-3 to Newcastle United, having led 3-1 at St James’ Park for much of the second half.
It was the last thing West Ham would have wanted heading into a London derby, and Moyes was handed yet another blow with Areola picking up an injury during the defeat to the Magpies.
Speaking ahead of the clash on Tuesday night, the Scot confirmed that his first-choice goalkeeper would play no part against Spurs, saying in his pre-match press conference (via Evening Standard, 2 April), “We hope it’s not too serious, but he’s not going to be available tomorrow.
“We don’t see it as being something too serious, so hopefully he might be back quite quickly.”
Tottenham must take advantage of Alphonse Areola’s absence against West Ham
Areola has been one of West Ham’s most impressive players as of late, particularly in their 3-1 win over Everton at Goodison Park (2 March), where the Frenchman single-handedly kept his side in the game.
As per Sofascore, he made nine saves against the Toffees, including one penalty-kick save and five from inside the box, preventing a total of 3.11 goals.
His performance drew huge praise from Premier League legend and the competition’s all-time top goalscorer Alan Shearer, who named the shot-stopper in his Premier League Team of the Week (5 March), writing, “A superb penalty save, plus eight other stops. He’s my goalkeeper for the second week running.”
And Areola’s impressive performances go beyond that one afternoon on Merseyside.
As per fbref, the 31-year-old ranks in the 98th percentile of goalkeepers in England’s top flight this season when it comes to his save percentage (75.8 per cent per 90), ranking in the top five per cent for the number of saves he makes (4.27 per 90).
This is particularly impressive considering how busy he often is, with the France international ranking in the top 12 per cent of goalkeepers for the number of shots on target he has to contend with (5.89 per 90).
His form has been particularly eye-catching and has kept long-term number-one Lukasz Fabianski out of the team.
The former Arsenal man is likely to return against Tottenham, and could perhaps be slightly rusty, a fact Postecoglou must ensure he reminds his players of ahead of kick-off.
In other Tottenham news, Postecoglou could axe one forward against West Ham after an update emerged on Richarlison.
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