Nuno Santo reveals why he is ‘worried’ ahead of Tottenham’s clash with Chelsea



Tottenham manager Nuno Espirito Santo has admitted he is “worried” by the spate of injuries being suffered by his team.

Spurs were in action again on Thursday in the Europa Conference League, drawing 2-2 with Rennes.

Santo fielded a strong side against the Ligue 1 outfit, although he ultimately paid a price, with both Steven Bergwijn and Lucas Moura hobbling out of the contest with injuries.

The problems add to what is already a lengthy injury list for Tottenham ahead of the clash with Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday. Son Heung-min missed the loss to Crystal Palace last weekend due to illness, while there are also doubts over the fitness of Cristian Romero, Giovani Lo Celso and Eric Dier.

Tottenham will also be without Japhet Tanganga for the visit of the European champions after he was issued with a red card at Selhurst Park.

It means Santo is well short of a full compliment for the weekend’s London derby and speaking to Spurs TV (h/t Metro ) after Thursday’s match he didn’t mince his words.

“Many obstacles,” he said. “It’s not good, it’s not good. I’m worried, naturally. I should not share with you, this is not the moment, but just to be honest. I think the boys did well because it’s tough. Things coming and coming and we keep trying to find solutions. The boys did everything.”

Spurs have already beaten Manchester City at home this season without Harry Kane available though and when asked about the prospect of facing Chelsea, the Spurs boss said he still believed in his players.

“It’s at home and we’re going to have our fans behind us,” he said. “We will compete. It’s going to be a tough match, but we’re going to be ready for it. They’re a very good team, a very good team. All the teams in the Premier League are very tough.”

Spurs enjoyed a strong start to the season under Nuno, winning their first three Premier League games 1-0.

However, injuries have caught up with the team in their last two outings. At Palace on Saturday they were second best all over the pitch in a 3-0 loss and on Thursday they were fortunate to take a draw from Rennes.

While Nuno will be without some key men for the weekend’s match, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is close to having every player available from what is a formidable squad.





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