Kane double downs Huddersfield, Pochettino voices burn-out fears
HUDDERSFIELD, United Kingdom: Mauricio Pochettino is worried about Tottenham Hotspur’s international players becoming burned out and injury-prone with the increasing demands being placed on them.
The Spurs head coach, who saw England captain Harry Kane score twice in a 2-0 win away to Huddersfield on Saturday, faces being without three key players for next week Champions League group match against Barcelona at Wembley.
Dele Alli will definitely be absent, while Jan Vertonghen and Moussa Dembele are now significant doubts for Wednesday’s match against the Catalan giants.
Alli this week aggravated a hamstring injury initially sustained during England’s Uefa Nations League loss to Spain on September 8, and Belgium internationals Vertonghen and Dembele were both withdrawn at half-time during the win at Huddersfield with muscle problems.
All three players were involved at the World Cup until mid-july, with Belgium beating England in the thirdplace play-off, and Pochettino believes they may have had insufficient rest before their Premier League season began on August 11. The Argentinian manager has expressed particular concern over European football governing body Uefa’s decision to add more competitive international games to the calendar by introducing the Nations League, arguing there is now less chance to rest players. ‘WHO CARES ABOUT
THE PLAYER?’ “The players finish the World Cup and they need to rest a few weeks,” Pochettino said. “Then they start the Premier League, and then there are the first international games. They play two games but they are not friendlies; instead, they play in the Nations League, and all the teams want the best players to play.
“Who cares about the player? It’s so difficult.
“With the circumstances of the season, it’s a massive challenge for everyone. It’s not only us; there are a lot of teams that have the same problem.”