Postecoglou: Tottenham injuries mean I've got no choice but to play Timo Werner

Evening Standard

·13 December 2024

Postecoglou: Tottenham injuries mean I've got no choice but to play Timo Werner

The forward has faced a stern “assessment” from his manager

Ange Postecoglou says he has no choice but to continue playing Timo Werner despite heavily criticising the Tottenham forward after the 1-1 draw at Rangers.

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Werner’s performance in Thursday’s Europa League game at Ibrox was branded “unacceptable” by the Spurs manager, who hauled the winger off at half-time because he was not playing “anywhere near the level he should”.

Postecoglou double-downed on Friday morning, though clarified that his words should be considered an “assessment”, rather than criticism”, of Werner.

Spurs have six senior players injured, including three defenders and the first-choice goalkeeper, along with two suspended midfielders for their trip to face Southampton at St Mary’s on Sunday.

Postecoglou joked that the worst injury crisis of his managerial career already has him “pulling kids out of school” to play for his team.

“I’ve got no choice,” he said about having to continue picking Werner. “Who else am I going to play?

Timo Werner playing on Thursday

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“I’m pulling kids out of school, I literally am — getting notes from their teachers. That was the reasoning for my pointing out [Werner’s performance] last night.

“We need Timo. We need all of them. In normal times if you have a poor game, there’s a price to pay. It doesn’t exist right now. We need everybody we’ve got. We need him.”

Postecoglou may decide to restore Dominic Solanke to the starting line-up against Saints, with Heung-min Son moving back to the wing and Werner an option from the bench.

“What I need from him is the best version of himself,” Postecoglou said about 28-year-old Werner. “When he’s the best version of himself, he helps us. I need everybody to feel that way, to have that mindset. He’s going to play. Of course he’s going to play.

“It is an extraordinary situation we are in — it is. Where we are squad-wise with the injuries we have and what we ask our players to do, these are extraordinary circumstances.”