Tottenham setback as Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro injured ahead of Wolves clash
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has been hit by yet another injury setback.
Just when it appeared that Postecoglou finally had his full-strength team back together for the visit of Wolves on Saturday 17 February, the Australian has been dealt with two fresh injury blows.
As per The Athletic (16 February), “Porro is set for a few weeks on the sidelines after sustaining a muscle strain in training.”
Meanwhile, Destiny Udogie has also been ruled out of the match with Wolves, although he is expected to be available for Spurs’ next fixture when they host Crystal Palace on Saturday 2 March.
Speaking ahead of the visit of Gary O’Neil’s side in his pre-match press conference, Postecoglou provided a bit more detail, revealing, “Destiny (Udogie) picked up a bit of a knock last week and is not available for tomorrow. Don’t think it’s anything too serious. He should be back (for the next game, against Crystal Palace on March 2).
“Pedro (Porro) picked up a strain in training — probably a couple of weeks for him. With the game break (Spurs have no game next week due to the Carabao Cup final) hopefully he doesn’t miss too much.”
Both players have been key for Postecoglou this season, and with just how important full-backs are in the 58-year-old’s system, Spurs now have a huge challenge on their hands against Wolves.
Tottenham must find a way to adapt
Spurs find themselves in an incredibly tight race to qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season.
Although they are currently fourth, fifth-placed Aston Villa are just one point behind them while Manchester United are starting to gain some ground on their top-six rivals.
As a result, Postecoglou and his players cannot afford any setbacks, but could now struggle against Wolves without Porro and Udogie.
The full-back pairing have been two of Spurs’ standout players throughout the 2023/24 campaign.
As per fbref, both players rank among the Premier League’s top full-backs this season for a range of various statistics.
Udogie, who has two goals and three assists so far in his debut season in England’s top flight, sits in the 92nd percentile for the number of touches he has made in the attacking penalty area (3.07 per 90) and the number of tackles he has made (3.07 per 90), showcasing his ability both defensively and offensively.
As for Porro, who leads the way in terms of assists for Spurs this season with seven, his stats are arguably even more impressive.
The Spaniard ranks in the top four per cent of his positional peers in the league this season for the number of shots he has had (1.61 per 90) and the top eight per cent for the number of assists he has provided (0.30 per 90).
While he is strongest going forward, defensively he has also been incredibly assured.
Porro ranks in the 87th percentile for the number of tackles he has made (2.92 per 90) and the top seven per cent for both the number of blocks he has made (2.13 per 90) and passes he has blocked (1.57 per 90).
Postecoglou must now figure out a backup plan with Emerson Royal and Ben Davies as his only available fit full-backs, with neither able to do the things that Udogie and Porro can do.
In other Tottenham news, Postecoglou must shuffle his midfield and start one 100 per cent ace against Wolves.
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