Ange faces toughest selection dilemma yet after what happened in Tottenham v Bournemouth
Ange Postecoglou will have very few options to turn toward when Tottenham host Burnley in the FA Cup on Friday 5 January after Alejo Veliz hobbled off injured against Bournemouth.
Veliz tried his best to continue before eventually coming off in stoppage time, forcing Tottenham to finish the
Postecoglou had previously used all five of his substitutions, therefore the game was played with ten men.
The young player has gained a lot of supporters in north London for his perseverance and determination to play even if he is in pain; his manager even spoke highly of his “character” after the game.
“We were trying to get it out to Alejo to just lay down so we can get him off, but it just shows the character of the boy because he knew we had no more substitutions and he just wanted to keep going,” Postecoglou said to the media. Alejo was in a lot of agony. (Dec. 31, Evening Standard).
“We’ll find out; I’m not sure how much he’s done yet.”
Veliz, who would have been ecstatic before kickoff after scoring his first senior goal for the team in the 4-2 loss to Brighton at the Amex Stadium on Thursday, December 28, is the victim of a sad twist of fate.
Veliz made his debut in the 70th minute and put up a memorable cameo, winning both of his ground and air duels. He also successfully completed his one dribble attempt and nearly had a shot blocked late in the game (Sofascore).
Postecoglou was made aware of his threat in and around the penalty area by his goal.
As Son Heung-min picked up possession on the right-hand side of the Brighton box, Veliz made a run toward the back post.
Son picked his teammate out, who took the ball down well with his first touch.
He finished strongly with his second touch, and although it was only a fillip that day, it would have given the forward a significant boost on a personal level.
It’s difficult to evaluate his performance because he spent the majority of it fighting to stay on the field. He struggled to have the same impact when he was introduced against Bournemouth, finishing just 67% of his passes, dropping the ball twice, and failing in his one aerial battle.
Not only is the injury a huge personal blow for Veliz, but it is yet another sucker punch for his manager.
Son is now no longer available for selection as he turns his attention toward South Korea and the Asia Cup, which
Leaving Bryan Gil, Dejan Kulusevski, Brennan Johnson, and Richarlison as the sole senior attacking options accessible for the time being.
While Gil is not a favorite of Spurs’ 58-year-old head coach, Kulusevski has been starting at number ten. With Burnley visiting the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Friday for some FA Cup action, this could be the ideal opportunity for Postecoglou to give in-form Under-21 striker Jamie Donley his first senior start.
This is undoubtedly one of the Australian’s most difficult selection decisions to date, which says a lot considering the season Tottenham has had.
In other Tottenham news, the team’s 97%-rated star player demonstrated his “world-class” abilities during the triumph over Bournemouth.
