…but injuries threaten to ruin on-field results
SPURS manager Harry Redknapp admits injuries have left him with a threadbare defence as he prepares for a pivotal four days of the run-in.
Redknapp has just two fit centre-backs ahead of tomorrow’s Premier League trip to Wigan and Tuesday’s European glamour tie against Real Madrid, having seen four consigned to the treatment room.
“We started the year with six central defenders here. Now we have two,” Redknapp said. “We are now down to having just Michael Dawson and Sebastien Bassong.”
Club captain Ledley King is likely to miss the rest of the season after it emerged he requires a second operation on the groin problem that has sidelined him for the last five months.
Younes Kaboul has a thigh strain and Jonathan Woodgate is nursing a calf injury, while William Gallas has only an outside chance of recovering from a knee problem for the Champions League date in Spain.
Winger Gareth Bale, whose stellar performances in Europe this season have caught the eye of the world’s biggest clubs, is also a major doubt for both games. Bale withdrew from the Wales squad ahead of last week’s match against England because of a hamstring injury and will be assessed today.
“Gareth worked with the fitness coaches and he looked OK this morning,” Redknapp said yesterday. “Whether he is OK to play two games is doubtful. We will have a look at that [today] and decide which way to go with it. We are going to leave it late. We’d love to have him fit but if he isn’t fit then we can’t play him.”