Tottenham will have a defensive crisis going into the game against Watford on New Year’s Day. The club will be without defenders Jan Vertonghen and Kyle Walker due to suspension. In addition to these two players, Spurs are also highly doubtful on the availability of defender Toby Alderweireld.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino stated prior to the game against Southampton that Alderweireld had been training well and was hoping to start the game. Since returning from a long-term injury absence in the 1-0 win over Manchester United, Alderweireld has featured in only one game – the 3-0 win over Hull City. He was forced to miss the match against Burnley, which ended up as a 2-1 success for Spurs, due to a back problem.

Even though Pochettino claimed that Alderweireld had been training well ahead of the Southampton game, team news revealed that the defender was to miss the match with a virus infection. The manager admitted that Alderweireld has been struggling with his virus infection and that it was highly unlikely that he will make it to the game against Watford. He said:

“We hope he will be available against Watford because today he was better. He got a virus, was sick, vomiting, and fever in the last two days. We hope he will be okay.”

This led to many fans questioning Pochettino’s comments on the player with some even accusing the manager of lying about the player’s condition. Alderweireld is one of the important players at the club, but they have certainly learned to cope without him. Harry Kane’s absence was an even bigger factor during the months of October and November, when the club were going through a disastrous run of form. However, a player like Alderweireld is of primary importance against Watford given that two first choice defenders will not be available through suspension.

Kyle Walker and Jan Vertonghen picked up the fifth yellow cards of the season – just a few days before the cut-off date – to receive an automatic one match suspension.

Spurs extended their winning run to 3 matches and also re-established the three point advantage over Manchester United. The Red Devils had closed the gap after a 3-1 win over Sunderland on Boxing Day. Spurs were certainly at a disadvantage having had to play the game against Southampton two days later. There is, even more, a disadvantage in terms of the fixtures, with Spurs having to face two more games until January 5.