Tottenham’s ‘worrying’ injury record examined as Postecoglou looks to avoid crisis next season

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Tottenham had one of the worst injury records in the Premier League last season.

Tottenham Hotspur’s 2023/24 season was an eventful one, to say the least.

Top of the league in November and enjoying their best-ever start to a league season, things could not have been going any better for Ange Postecoglou’s side.

Spurs however would soon come crashing back down to earth following their 4-1 defeat to rivals Chelsea, a game which saw Tottenham lose two of their best players to long-term injuries.

Both Micky van de Ven and James Maddison picked serious injuries that night, and their absence would ultimately derail Tottenham’s perfect start to the season.

They would soon be joined on the treatment table by the likes of Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma and Richarlison as Spurs underwent an injury crisis over the Christmas period.

Injury nightmare for Postecoglou

Tottenham’s injury list was one of the worst in the league last season, with them ranking fifth highest in the time-loss injuries list – according to data from PremierInjuries.

The data also shows Spurs had the sixth-highest injury incidence rate.

So, with that being said – why did Tottenham suffer so many injuries last season?

Tottenham’s style of play

One of the main reasons for Tottenham’s worryingly high injury list can be partly explained by a recent change of tactics.

Before the days of Ange Ball, Spurs had three consecutive managers (Antonio Conte, Nuno Espirito Santo and Jose Mourinho) who were all defensively-minded coaches that employed conservative styles of play. This meant Spurs were often very passive when it comes to pressing, regularly sitting in waiting to catch opponents on the break.

That however has all changed since the arrival of Postecoglou, with the Aussie turning Spurs into one of the most aggressive pressing teams in Europe.

Further data from PremierInjuries shows Spurs had a 12.65 PPDA (Passes Peer Defensive Action), a pressing metric, in 2022/23. This was in the bottom half of the table. But in 2023/24 the side has been pressing far more with a 7.50 PPDA, the most pressing side in the Premier League.

This of course has had its positive effects with Spurs now back competing at the top end of the table, it does however also have its downsides shown by Tottenham’s extensive injury list last season.

Sometimes players are unable to deal with the physical demands of Tottenham’s aggressive pressing, which can often lead to muscle injuries – shown by the likes of Van de Ven, who sustained a serious hamstring injury back in November.

This is not just the case at Spurs though, as it has also been a trend at other clubs such as Liverpool.

Following the arrival of Jurgen Klopp in 2015, Liverpool themselves had to undergo the same transition as Spurs under Postecoglou.

The Reds sustained a number of injuries during the early days of Klopp’s reign, with some players failing to deal with the intensity of the German’s famous gegenpressing model.

Since then though, Liverpool slowly adapted to Klopp’s style of play and eventually transformed into one of Europe’s best teams – Spurs will be hoping to do the same.

Europa League worries

Going into the 2024/25 season, Spurs now have the added pressure of European football having qualified for the Europa League last season.

More games and more travelling means Postecoglou will have to cleverly manoeuvre his way through the season to avoid any unwanted injuries.

The new format of the Europa League will also present another challenge, with Spurs guaranteed to play at least eight games during the group phase – compared to the six, they would have played previously.

The timing of the competition will also mean the players have a heavy schedule all the way up until January, meaning Premier League players will have a much higher exposure rate compared to the rest of Europe, which has an extended winter break.

Tottenham must buy to avoid injury crisis

Football injury expert Jason McKenna has stated Tottenham’s injury record is “very worrying” and “Europa League football is not going to help that at all”.

McKenna’s opinion is echoed by many Spurs fans, who believe the club must invest to push on and avoid another potential injury crisis.

The acquisitions of Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray suggest the club recognise the potential problem but the impending departures of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Emerson Royal suggest further squad building is needed before the Premier League season kicks off.